Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras survived the vote of no confidence with the narrowest possible margin of 151 votes in favor. The opposition had 148 votes against him. This means that the Government now has to maintain this narrow majority in the 300 seats Parliament to push through the Macedonia name deal, and then another vote to get the Greek Parliament to approve Macedonia’s entry into NATO.

The vote was called after the nationalist ANEL party left its coalition with Tsipras’ socialist Syriza party, over the Macedonia agreement which Tsipars negotiated with Zoran Zaev. Kammenos called the ANEL members of Parliament to vote against Tsipras, but some of them defected and voted in favor. Kammenos also called on the Government to call a referendum on the Macedonia deal.

Tsipras may lose the votes from the centrist To Potami party which said will support the name deal, replacing the votes he is losing from ANEL, but is now having second thoughts after one of its representatives was aggressively courted by Tsipras and eventually voted in favor of the Government in the no confidence motion – a move the rest of To Potami did not support.

In recognition of the level of anger the deeply divisive issue has caused in Greece, Tsipras said that members of Parliament who support him have received death treats over what majorities in both Greece and Macedonia believe is a deal damaging to national interests.