By G. Kampourakis
[email protected]
The Tsipras government aims to submit the provisional Prespa agreement to Parliament for ratification immediately after Wednesday’s vote of confidence, according to reliable reports.
The agreement will first be tabled in a relevant Parliament committee, possibly on Thursday, before being sent to the plenum – if passed, as expected, by committee members – for debate and a vote on Friday or Saturday.
Conversely, opposition sources maintain that the Tsipras government’s goal is for ratification to come before a protest rally is scheduled on Sunday, Jan. 20 in Syntagma square. The same sources attributed the insistence of Parliament President Nikos Voutsis to limit debate over a vote of confidence to two days, instead of the prescribed three, as Parliament rules ostensibly allow.
Voutsis hails from the ruling SYRIZA party.
Back on the government side, the reasoning for the accelerated timetable, which may include a mini reshuffle, is to send a positive message to the markets that Greece’s political and economic situation remains stable, despite the latest developments.
