The defection of a deputy from the right-wing junior coalition partner generated a firestorm of political reactions on Tuesday, with sources on the government side angrily decrying what they claimed was a plan to topple the Tsipras government.
The resignation of Giorgos Lazaridis from the Independent Greeks’ (AN.EL) party leaves the leftist-rightist coalition with the backing of 152 MPs in Parliament, out of 300. One of the 152, in fact, one is a deputy elected with the Union of Centrists party in September 2015, who defected several months ago only to immediately join ruling SYRIZA’s Parliament group.
Without naming names, the government side, albeit in an unofficial manner, blamed “economic interests” in Piraeus and Thessaloniki as behind the coup-like plan. The defection apparently came as a surprise to the coalition camp, with others charging that the same “interests” are working for main opposition ND leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
In a reply, ND party said the Tsipras government was merely in a state of panic, as it was collapsing.
Lazaridis is elected from Thessaloniki’ second election district, where opposition to the recently signed Prespes Agreement to resolve the fYRoM “name issue” is running high.
