That Greece’s head of government Alexis Tsipras is not afraid of the Gamble, since his “Grexit Referendum” of 2015. Now he has decided again to do so, his entire political capital. The starting point of the partial disintegration of the since January 2015, the ruling coalition of Tsipras’ “coalition of the radical Left” (Syriza) and the right-wing populist party “Independent Greeks” (Anel).

Michael Martens

a correspondent for Southeast European countries, with its headquarters in Athens.

F. A. Z. Twitter

On Sunday, announced the Minister of defence and Anel-Chairman Panos Kammenos, the withdrawal of his party from the coalition, and his resignation as a Minister. As grounds, he argued Tsipras’ reconciliation politics with Macedonia. Greece’s small neighboring Republic is, since Friday is officially “Northern Macedonia”.

the Appropriate changes to the Constitution had been decided on Friday evening in the Macedonian Parliament in Skopje, by a two-thirds majority. Then, in Macedonia (now Northern Macedonia) Prime Minister Zoran Zaev had asked the deputies of the Greek Parliament, the new state name, for their part, recognize. “Our Parliament has not found the force, that was easy. But I am convinced that the Greek Parliament will find the strength to make a decision“, said Zaev.

so Far, no Nato membership possible

A constitutional law change of name was made by Tsipras to the pre-condition for the abolition of the Athenian Blockade against the neighbouring state. Athens and Skopje signed in June 2018 of a contract, which aims to end the decades of smoldering “name dispute”. So far, this dispute had led to the fact that Macedonia was not a member of Nato. With reference to the antiquity and Alexander the Great all Athens governments of the left led up to the right, that the Name “Macedonia” was integral part of ancient Greek and of anybody usurped should be. Due to the geographical add-on, in front of the state name and the explicit statement that today’s Macedonian language, and culture have nothing to do with the ancient times, was sufficient to view by Tsipras the Greek claims.

The nationalists see in Greece, however, is different. In the representation of Kammenos as well as the leader of the opposition Kyriakos Mitsotakis Tsipras told Greek interests, because the neighbors never allowed to should be to result in the word “Macedonia” as part of the state name. In addition, the nationalist Interpretation to give, neither a Macedonian language, a Macedonian Nation – these are rather Yugoslav inventions from the time of the state leader Tito.

Two reasons for hope

That Tsipras took force, this backward-looking spirit, to oppose, is credited to him in Washington, Brussels and Berlin. What brings it to him at home, it will show this week. The danger is that Kammenos would terminate the coalition agreement with the North Macedonia, on the ratification comes to the Parliament, stand for months in the room.