Electoral results in Greece show that the Prespa treaty contributed a lot to the electoral defeat of Alexis Tsipras and his leftist SYRIZA party.
The further north you go on the map, the greater the support for the conservative New Democracy party. Much of the Greeks living in the broader region of Macedonia are descendants of Greeks settled during the population exchange with Turkey in the 1920ies, and have been strongly nationalist in defense of their new home, especially against ethnic Macedonians. In many municipalities along the border, like Kukus (Kilkis), Kostur (Kastoria) and Ser (Serres), conservative candidates beat SYRIZA with a 2:1 ratio.
Conservative candidates also won outright in the regional races in West and Central Macedonia, as well as in neighboring Epirus and Thessaly regions, while lagging in East Macedonia and Thrace where a surprisingly strong showing was recorded by the local Turkish party. The blue of New Democracy largely overlaps with the parts of the country which opposed the name deal the most. Tsipras refused to call a referendum on the Prespa treaty or reach consensus with the opposition on the divisive treaty he signed.
New Democracy won across Greece, but rarely by the margins seen along the border with Macedonia. Former Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, who broke with Tsipras over the name deal, told Tsipras that his party “committed suicide in Prespa”.
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