Spokesman says gov't majority not threatened by MP's resignation

The resignation of a lawmaker from the Greek government's junior partner, the Independent Greeks party, does not pose a threat to the ruling coalition, the government's spokesman said on Tuesday.

"The ruling majority is not threatened but is absolutely stable," Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said after the resignation of MP Giorgos Lazaridis from the right-wing party, which reduced the coalition's majority to 152 in the 300-seat parliament.

Independent Greeks (ANEL), meanwhile, issued a strongly worded statement in response to Lazaridis's resignation, calling on the MP for Thessaloniki's Second Constituency to give up his seat in Parliament rather than sit as an independent.

"Not everyone has the stamina for the path of responsibility and supporting the nation's interests. Mr Lazaridis did not," ANEL's spokesman, Theodoros Tosounidis, said on Tuesday.

"Since he is,...