Greek key coalition ally seeks to block Macedonia name deal

3 Jul, 2018 07:50 / Updated 6 years ago

Greece’s defense minister and key ally in a fragile left-right coalition will try to block a deal brokered with Macedonia last month to end a dispute over its name. Panos Kammenos, who heads the right-wing Independent Greeks party, said he would not endorse the accord, which has to be ratified by the national parliaments in both countries. Two lawmakers from the Independent Greeks broke ranks and quit the party over the issue last month, leaving the leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ coalition down to 152 seats in the 300-seat parliament - its slimmest parliamentary majority since Tsipras took office in 2015, Reuters said.