LONDON — Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called on Sunday for an immediate vote of confidence in the Greek government, hours after the defense minister announced that he would quit the governing coalition in protest of a deal to end a dispute with Macedonia over its name. Defense Minister Panos Kammenos’s decision came days after Macedonian lawmakers agreed to officially change the country’s name to the Republic of North Macedonia, ending a long dispute and opening the door for the small Balkan nation’s membership in NATO and the European Union. If other members of Mr. Kammenos’s right-wing minority coalition party, the Independent Greeks, quit, it would most likely result in a minority Greek government. The vote of confidence is expected to take place in Parliament on Thursday. “For almost four years I had an honorable and honest cooperation with Panos Kammenos,” Mr. Tsipras said in a statement, thanking the defense minister for his “irreplaceable, important contribution” to the government.

Source: New York Times January 13, 2019 11:37 UTC