Zakynthos Informer Zakynthos Informer
Related Articles
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is expected to win the confidence vote scheduled for Wednesday, although he is currently chief of a minority government after junior partner Panos Kammenos decided to leave the coalition over the Macedonia issue.
Although SYRIZA has only 145 seats in a Parliament of 300 and the Prime Minister has set 151 votes as necessary, Tsipras seeks the support of a handful of lawmakers either independent or belonging to other parties.
According to information on Monday, 2 ANEL ministers (Kountoura, Kokkalis) and 2 lawmakers (Zouraris, Papachristos) have declared to vote in favor of the government, and so did the deputy Public Order Minister (Papakosta -ex New Democracy), and one To Potami MP (Danellis).
ANEL leader Kammenos expelled the Tourism and the deputy Agricultural Development Minister from the part’s parliamentary group on Sunday.
- Joke of the Day: Monday evening, lost-in-Parliament Kammenos (ANEL, ex ND) called on opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis (ND) to submit a vote of non-confidence against the government. – Sadly, it is not a joke!
To Potami has set a deadline until Monday night for Danellis.
Securing 151 votes for the confidence vote does not necessarily mean that Tsipras has also secured the needed support also for the Prespes Agreement, expected to come for ratification end of January or beginning of February. Some of the non-SYRIZA lawmakers who will support him at the confidence vote have said that they will not vote to the Macedonia deal. However, the Prime Minister most likely get the support by other lawmakers from small opposition parties.
The debate on the vote of confidence in the government will begin in the plenary in parliament at 12:00 noon on Tuesday.
The Conference of Presidents said the debate would end with a vote on Wednesday night.
The meeting also decided to postpone Monday’s scheduled discussion on an education ministry draft bill that was due to begin at noon.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras initiated the process on Sunday, sending a letter to Parliament President asking him to make the necessary arrangements.
The prime minister announced that he would ask parliament to renew its vote of confidence in the government, rather than make use of constitutional leeway to rule without an explicit majority.
Tsipras is determined to rule for as long as possible and exhaust his four-year term that ends in upcoming October. From milk-face Alexis, Tsipras has grown to a …strategist. His latest strategy is to crash small opposition parties.
The post Tsipras expected to win confidence vote with opposition party MPs appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.
