Independent Greeks

Lebedev’s first attempt to do business in Greece came in 2013 when Russian companies sought to acquire DEPA (Public Gas Corporation of Greece)-DESFA (Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator SA) without results at the time.

As runner-up, Terence Kouik took the seat which former Independent Greeks MP Thanasis Papachristopoulos resigned after breaking the party line .

'You demonstrated that you are a cold executioner. Obviously for you executing us means nothing, but for us the execution of Macedonia means a lot,' Kammenos told the PM.

The arrangement allows the MPs – including four current or former Independent Greeks cadres – to formally remain in their current party while backing SYRIZA on all legislation.

Spyraki said that for New Democracy any change to parliamentary rules is a non-starter and she called upon Parliament Speaker Nikos Voutsis to not even raise the issue.

If a prolongation of the government’s term is pursued with dubious means, it will ineluctably lead to a debasement of parliamentary procedures and of the Republic.

The change would allow the leader of a party with fewer than five MPs to retain the same privileges he or she did when they led a recognised group.

In the Prespa Accord ratification, party leader Panos Kammenos chose to lose MPs (who defected to back the accord) and party cadres and to end his partnership with PM Alexis Tsipras,

Now, the government is again jockeying on the sidelines to gather 151 willing MPs to ratify the Greece-FYROM Prespa Agreement.

After the vote, Tsipras said on national television that he intends to complete his term, which would mean holding the general election in October, 2019.

Nearly 70 percent (69.6%) of those polled said they oppose the Prespa Agreement, but 26.5 percent, believe that the Greece-FYROM naming accord is in Greece's interest.

Mitsotakis and centre-left Movement for Change leader Fofi Gennimata, in turn, blasted the government regarding the over-taxation

According to Mitsotakis, the agreement was that Tsipras would keep his parliamentary majority and Kammenos would not have to approve the Prespa Agreement

Kammenos is now trying to lure independent MPs who have left or have been expelled from other parties,

With time impasses became apparent as did the fundamental differences between the two unsuited ruling coalition partners.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras revealed he will seek a parliamentary vote of confidence if Defence Minister Panos Kammenos withdraws his trust.

Mitsotakis declared that Tsipras should either seek a vote of confidence in parliament or call elections immediately.

Having served the purposes of the prime minister, the leader of the Independent Greeks, Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, is being discarded and pushed aside.

A country cannot be governed with MPs switching parties or abandoning their own and with promises to wandering MPs.

The prime minister has said that right after ratification of the Prespa Accord, the government will table in Parliament the Protocol on FYROM’s admission to Nato, which the legislatures of all of the Alliance’s member-states must approve.