Ex ANEL spokesperson leaves party over ‘despicable’ name deal
Former Independent Greeks (ANEL) spokesperson Madalena Papadopoulou has resigned from the party over Greece’s name deal with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).
In a message posted on her Facebook account on Sunday, Papadopoulou, who was last week replaced as ANEL spokesperson by Theodoros Tosounidis, said her decision was taken in protest at the party’s failure to defend its position on the name talks which lead to Sunday’s signing of the “despicable” accord between Athens and Skopje.
If the deal is ratified, the former Yugoslav republic will be called North Macedonia.
ANEL, which is the Greek government's junior coalition partner, had vehemently opposed the deal but on Saturday voted against a no-confidence vote in Parliament against the government – barring one lawmaker, Dimitris Kammenos, who was kicked out of the party immediately after the vote.
