Greek MPs brace for vote on Prespes deal amid tense debate

Greek MPs completed a second day of fierce debate on the Macedonia deal on Thursday night ahead of a vote that was postponed until Friday afternoon to allow dozens of lawmakers to address the House.

"We are one step before a historic event," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told Parliament, adding that the long-standing dispute over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia had deprived Greece of precious diplomatic capital. He said inertia and procrastination had resulted in more than 130 countries recognizing FYROM as simply "Macedonia," and accused conservative New Democracy of "political hypocrisy" for shifting stance on the issue. The premier also condemned threats against and intimidation of MPs supporting the Prespes deal.

Describing the deal as a "national defeat," ND leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis claimed that its ratification would not secure FYROM...