Political parties

An independent lawmaker representing the Central Greece city of Larissa is joining the ranks of the main conservative opposition.

Giorgos Katsiandonis's addition to the ranks of New Democracy will bring the number of the party's lawmakers in the 300-seat House to 77.

A plenary session in Parliament Wednesday will select a replacement for Dimitris Kammenos, the former MP for junior coalition partner Independent Greeks (ANEL) who resigned as vice president of the House Monday.

Dimitris Kammenos, the outspoken former MP for the right-wing junior coalition partner Independent Greeks (ANEL), who was ejected from the party last month for defecting from the government line in a confidence vote, quit his post as parliamentary vice president on Monday.

The move, which was anticipated, paves the way for ANEL to appoint a new vice president to the House.

The Cypriot Parliament has passed legislation aimed at providing state guarantees to Hellenic Bank in its acquisition of Cyprus Cooperative Bank's healthy portfolio.

Conservative New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and cadres in the opposition party's leadership, are planning to make overtures across the political spectrum aimed at expanding the party's traditional base of supporters, Kathimerini understands.

The initiative will reach the "pro-European center-left," associates of Mitsotakis have told Kathimerini.

New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused the government of costing the country 34 billion euros for each year it has stayed in power, referencing the tense first six months of the government's negotiations with its creditors.

The top decision-making body of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) will not call for a snap convention, CHP spokesperson Bülent Tezcan has said, stressing that the party's administration "fully supports" current leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu against in-house calls for a leadership change.

The leader of the junior coalition partner Independent Greeks (ANEL) reiterated his intention to seek an increased majority for the approval the name deal with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and hit out at New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis and vice president Costis Hatzidakis for their criticism of comments made by European Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Pi

The Parliament of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) approved for the second time the deal signed with Greece on the country's name, which had been returned to the House after the country's President Gjorge Ivanov refused to rubber-stamp the first decree.

A new opinion poll conducted by MRB puts conservative New Democracy 9.8 percentage points ahead of leftist SYRIZA and finds that seven in 10 do not support the recent Macedonia name deal.

According to the nationwide survey, which was conducted on a sample of 2,000 people, if elections were held now ND would garner 31 percent of the vote and SYRIZA 21.2 percent.