Probe ordered into alleged threats against Greek MPs over Macedonia vote

ATHENS: A Greek prosecutor on Saturday ordered an investigation into allegations of threats against lawmakers over an upcoming parliamentary vote to end a 27year dispute with Macedonia, a judicial source said.

Macedonian lawmakers voted to rename their country the Republic of North Macedonia on Friday and the agreement now needs backing from the Greek parliament to come into effect.

However the proposal has been met with resistance by many in Greece, who object to its neighbour being called Macedonia because it has its own northern province of the same name.

Ahead of the vote in Athens, two news websites alleged that a prominent member of Greece’s main opposition New Democracy party – which rejects the name deal – called on its members to phone MPs of the nationalist Independent Greeks (ANEL) party and urge them to vote against the agreement.

ANEL is the junior party in Greece’s ruling coalition and strongly opposes the name change, a rift that threatens to destabilise the government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who helped broker the deal.

The New Democracy member allegedly revealed the personal mobile phone numbers of ANEL MPs.

Athens News Agency said the news reports prompted the preliminary investigation into the allegations. — AFP