Greek government crumbling over the name of ‘Macedonia’?

The relationship between the two coalition partners, left SYRIZA and populist right ANEL, is currently on thin ice. Greek PM Alexis Tsipras lifted the gauntlet thrown down earlier by his junior government partner, Panos Kammenos during their meeting at Maximos Hall, who threatened to leave the government, if Immigration Minister George Mouzalas would not step down. Tsipras said he would not cave in to Kammenos’s demands and would seek a different course of action to salvage his government within the Constitutional limits. His threat was ‘Whoever caused a government to fall waned to 1%’. Meanwhile, Minister of State and close associate of Alexis Tsipras is trying to convince Kammenos to back down on his threat of leaving the government.  ANEL leader Panos Kammenos is not backing down on his threat that if Immigration Minister, George Mouzalas does not hand in his resignation over his reference to FYROM as ‘Macedonia’, he will leave the government coalition by 9 am on Thursday. Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos has cancelled a scheduled trip to the US in light the latest political developments. After meeting with Greek PM Alexis Tsipras to find ways to resolve the matter, Kammenos told reporters he stood by his demand for Mouzalas to step down. Meanwhile, SYRIZA Ministers and party members have come out in droves supporting Mouzalas. Kammenos made it clear that even of he leaves the coalition government his party would continue to support the government with a vote of confidence in the Greek Parliament. Tsipras could seek to form a new government with the backing of other parties from the current Parliament, like the socialists of PASOK, the centrists of Enosi Kentroon, or To Potami (The River).