Greek Opposition Suggests Holding Early Elections Instead Of Debates On Prespa Deal

Greek opposition party New Democracy has suggested that the country should hold early parliamentary elections in response to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' proposal to organize televised debates on the Prespa deal on Macedonia's name change, which has sown discord in the Greek parliament

ATHENS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2019) Greek opposition party New Democracy has suggested that the country should hold early parliamentary elections in response to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' proposal to organize televised debates on the Prespa deal on Macedonia's name change, which has sown discord in the Greek parliament.

Amid rising opposition to the ratification of the Prespa agreement, Tispras suggested on Thursday holding televised debates with the leader of the New Democracy, who argues that the deal contradicts the country's interests, to allow citizens compare different points of view.

"International treaties are debated and ratified by the parliament. And all parties and Greek lawmakers participate in this process ... If Mr. Tsipras is eager to have debates, we have a suggestion: let us hold [parliamentary] elections now, so citizens will draw their conclusions during the election debates. The elected parliament, which will receive a new mandate from the people, will decide to ratify or reject the Prespa Agreement," the party said in a statement.

The press service of the Greek prime minister, in turn, said that election debates would be held in October, exactly as scheduled.

Meanwhile, according to most recent polls, the New Democracy is leading by 10 percent over Tsipras' Syriza party.

Disagreements over the Prespa deal already prompted then-Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos to withdraw his right-wing Independent Greeks (ANEL) party from the ruling coalition last week. Tsipras, in turn, called a vote of confidence in his government, which he won on Wednesday.

On June 17, the agreement between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) was signed in the bordering town of Prespa in an attempt to solve their decades-long dispute over the name "Macedonia," with Greece objecting to its use because it was also the name of one of its regions. Under the deal, Macedonia changes its name to the Republic of North Macedonia.

However, despite the fact that the ratification of the agreement would not only resolve the long-standing dispute but would also allow the renamed Macedonia to join the European Union and NATO, the Prespa deal has faced criticism both in Greece and Macedonia. While some Greek politicians believe that the name "Macedonians" should be reserved exclusively for those who live in the Greek region of Macedonia, Skopje sees the deal as a blow to the country's national identity.

Last week, the Macedonian parliament ratified a constitutional amendment to rename the country to the Republic of North Macedonia.