Panos Kammenos

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's letter Monday to Parliament Speaker Nikos Voutsis, asking him to make no changes to House regulations relating to composition of parties (after being accused by the opposition of trying to save former coalition partner Independent Greeks leader Panos Kammenos) was tantamount to the confession of a failed machination to manipulate the parliamentary rulebook.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday wrote to Parliament Speaker Nikos Voutsis, asking him to make no changes to House regulations relating to composition of parties after being accused by the political opposition of trying to save former coalition partner, Independent Greeks (ANEL) leader Panos Kammenos.

A parliamentary committee was to convene at 2 p.m. on Monday to discuss planned changes to House regulations that would allow the junior partner Independent Greeks (ANEL) to keep its parliamentary group.

In comments ahead of the session, House Speaker Nikos Voutsis insisted that the aim was to boost parties, not to change the regulations.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has entered a critical two-month period which will determine whether he will call snap elections in May or attempt to complete his beleaguered government's four-year term in October.

The leader of former coalition partner Independent Greeks (ANEL), Panos Kammenos, responded indignantly to a government idea to help the party retain its parliamentary group, saying ANEL "doesn't want favors."

ANEL is facing the prospect of being left with four lawmakers, which would bring it below the threshold for parliamentary groups.

Seeking to avoid a head-on collision with Panos Kammenos, the leader of former coalition partner Independent Greeks (ANEL), the government said Thursday it is mulling a change in the rules that will allow the right-wing party to retain its parliamentary group.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is seriously thinking about accepting into the Syriza Parliamentary group those independent deputies who have been helping his government pass important legislation, after former partner Panos Kammenos and his Independent Greeks party bolted the coalition.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has reportedly sent a letter of congratulations to Hellenic National Defense General Staff Evangelos Apostolakis for his appointment as Greek minister of defense after Panos Kammenos broke from the government coalition earlier this month and stepped down from the role.

Centrist To Potami on Friday joined calls from the opposition for an investigation into allegations made by Independent Greeks leader Panos Kammenos suggesting that an official in the prime minister's office had attempted to steer judicial investigations in favor of the government.

Opposition New Democracy on Friday called for an investigation into claims of judicial manipulation made by former coalition partner Panos Kammenos against the prime minister's office.