As Greek Parliament begins final round of discussions ahead of the vote on the Macedonia name deal, Speaker Talat Xhaferi said that he expects the deal to be approved in Athens.

Despite the reactions of the opposition in both countries, the Prespa Agreement is good, it will contribute to stability inside Greece and in Macedonia, but also to the stability of the wider region, Xhaferi said.

A SYRIZA member of the Greek Parliament had her house firebombed yesterday and opposition protests are expected this evening, as Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is working to maintain a very narrow majority in the Parliament to push the deal through. If he wins, another vote is expected in the coming weeks, in which the Greek Parliament will have to ratify Macedonia’s NATO accession.

Speaking with the Greek newspaper Naftemporiki, Xhaferi excused the way in which the deal was pushed through in Macedonia and was eventually published in the Official Gazette without the signature of President Ivanov, who clearly announced his opposition to it. Xhaferi said that Macedonia has a parliamentary system, as a way to excuse cutting Ivanov outside of the legislative process, and told critics of the way it was ratified to take the agreement to the Constitutional Court if they want to.

Greek Communists, who also oppose the deal, unfurled a banner on the Acropolis today. Inside the Greek Parliament, different options to delay the vote could be in play, including calling for another vote of no confidence in Tsipras.