Democratic Left

New Left, the party created out of a split in the main opposition SYRIZA party, will hold an organizing meeting on January 12-13.

The meeting, to be held in Athens, will draw up a founding declaration and prepare a conference, to be held in late February, where the party's governing bodies will presumably be elected.

Konstantinos Tasoulas was re-elected as President of the Parliament with 249 votes on Tuesday.

Tasoulas received the votes of New Democracy, SYRIZA, PASOK-KINAL and Greek Solution lawmakers. The 59 MPs from the other opposition parties abstained.

Greeks will vote on Sunday in the most unpredictable national polls in a decade with an inconclusive result likely to lead to the election needing to be re-run.

Outgoing conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis holds a clear lead of around 6 percent over his nearest rival, leftist former premier Alexis Tsipras.

By Loukas Apostolides

Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare's romantic comedy, is one of the most frequently staged plays in the entire world.

Ever since 2012, the "return of Pasok" to the central political stage is reminiscent of the play, as there were no results on the path to return.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Saturday welcomed a decision by the central committee of Democratic Left (DIMAR) to align with his leftist SYRIZA ahead of local and European elections next month.

Democratic Left (DIMAR) on Tuesday said it was quitting the centrist alliance, Movement for Change (KINAL), following the weekend expulsion of its president Thanasis Theocharopoulos over his support for the Prespes agreement.

"DIMAR will stick to the responsible stand... that it has from the very beginning maintained on this crucial national issue," the party said in a statement.

Amid speculation about his possible move to centrist Potami following his ejection from the Movement for Change (KINAL) coalition, Thanassis Theoharopoulos held his cards close to his chest on Monday, commenting that he has a "good relationship" with Potami and its leader Stavros Theodorakis.

Democratic Left (DIMAR), a small leftist party created as a result of a breakaway from Syriza back in 2010, has voted to approve the Prespes deal.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (center) speaks with Fotis Kouvelis, the new alternate defense minister, at a swearing-in ceremony Friday at the official residence of President Prokopis Pavlopoulos (r).

It is sometimes ignored that as head of SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras does not enjoy an absolute parliamentary majority. His leftist party only controls 144 seats in the 300-seat House, although he does have the backing of nine MPs from the right-wing populist Independent Greeks party (ANEL).