Greek parliament opens govt confidence debate, to hold vote on Wednesday – official

The Greek parliament will open a confidence debate in the government on Tuesday, with the vote expected on Wednesday night, Reuters reports, citing a parliamentary official. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called the confidence vote following the resignation of coalition partner Panos Kammenos and his Independent Greeks party on Sunday over a deal to end a decades-long dispute between Athens and Skopje over Macedonia’s name. Tsipras’ leftist Syriza party has 145 seats in the 300-seat parliament and the support of one independent lawmaker. The PM needs the support of at least five more deputies to win the confidence vote. Even if Tsipras prevails in the confidence vote, the government will have to rely on the backing of lawmakers outside his party to push through legislative initiatives. Tsipras hopes to bring the Macedonia name deal to parliament after the confidence vote, if he wins it.