Political storms strengthen over deal on Macedonia name

ATHENS, Greece — The prime ministers of Greece and Macedonia faced political storms at home Thursday, two days after reaching a historic deal to settle a decades-old dispute over Macedonia’s name.

Greece’s Alexis Tsipras faces a vote of no-confidence in his government by Saturday afternoon, while Macedonia’s Zoran Zaev is contending with the refusal of the country’s president to sign off on the deal if it’s approved by parliament.

Zaev and Tsipras have agreed that the former Yugoslav republic should be renamed North Macedonia, ending a disagreement that had prevented it from joining international institutions such as NATO and had poisoned bilateral relations since the early 1990s. But the dispute has roused strong nationalist sentiment in both countries. Critics on both sides of the border were furious, accusing their respective prime ministers of conceding too much.

Greece has long demanded that its northern neighbor change its name, saying the term “Macedonia” implies territorial claims on its own northern province of the same name, birthplace of the ancient warrior king Alexander the Great, and usurps ancient Greek heritage and history.

Opponents in Greece object to any use of the term “Macedonia” in their northern neighbor’s name.

Critics in Macedonia, meanwhile, see any modification of the country’s name as a threat to their national identity.

In Athens, Tsipras faced a direct challenge to his left-led coalition government’s survival after main opposition New Democracy submitted a motion later Thursday for a noconfidence vote.