N. Macedonian PM Resigns Ahead of Elections, New Government on Jan. 28

Dimitar Kovacevski (Photo: The Government of North Macedonia)

The prime minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovacevski, has announced that he would resign on Jan. 24 to pave the way for the forming of a transitional government, which is to prepare the parliamentary elections in May, and that this government, in which the largest opposition VMRO-DPMNE party would also have ministers, would be formed on Jan. 28.

Kovacevski has urged VMRO-DPMNE, which has announced that its MPs would abstain from voting, to vote for the transitional government “with which we will carry out democratic elections.” “You cannot behave like 13-year-olds and say: ‘I will nominate ministers, but will not vote.’ Everyone has to be serious. You will not find a case anywhere in the world where you nominate ministers and expect someone else to vote them in,” Kovacevski said.

According to the law, the prime minister resigns 100 days ahead of parliamentary elections in order for a transitional government to be formed, in which the largest opposition party has two ministers – for the interior and for labor and welfare policy, and deputy ministers for finance, for the information society and administration and for agriculture.

The two largest parties of the ruling coalition – the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia of Dimitar Kovacevski and the Democratic Union for Integration of Ali Ahmeti, have agreed for the transitional prime minister to be the speaker of the North Macedonian parliament, Talat Xhaferi of the Democratic Union for Integration, who will be succeeded in the speaker’s position by an MP from the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia. According to an agreement of parliamentary parties, the parliamentary elections will be held on May 8, together with the run-off vote in the presidential elections. The first round of the presidential elections will be held on Wednesday, April 24.