New “fires” in the already fragile political scene of Northern Macedonia light up the announcement of the opposition parties that they secured a parliamentary majority and that the government of the resigning Prime Minister Zoran Zaef has now lost the “declared”.
The leader of the right-wing opposition party, VMRO-DPMNE, Christian Mickoski, said in an emergency press conference at noon yesterday that his party, along with the Levica (Left) party and the Albanian Alliance for Albanians-Other and “BESA” secured a parliamentary majority of 61 deputies, which, as he said, “guarantees that this government, under Zaef’s party, now belongs to the past”.
He himself, in the press conference, showed several times the list with the handwritten signatures of 61 deputies, out of the 120 that number of the entire Parliament.
The formation of a new parliamentary majority was made possible by the apparent departure of the government of the small Albanian party “BESA”, which has three deputies (so far this party has four deputies, but its power is expected to decrease by one seat, as the leader of this party and MP, Bilal Kasami was elected mayor of Tetovo in the recent municipal elections and his seat in Parliament will be occupied by a member of parliament from the ruling Social Democratic Party of Zoran Zaef, as the first runner-up).
The reason for the withdrawal of “BESA” from the governing coalition was the decision of the National Electoral Commission of Northern Macedonia to accept an objection of the ruling and largest Albanian party in Northern Macedonia, the DUI of Ali Ahmeti for the re-run of the municipal elections. which in its vast majority is inhabited by Albanians. In this municipality, the BESA candidate prevailed by a very small margin compared to the DUI candidate, and the re-run of the elections may lead to a change in the result.
BESA considered the DUI objection a “back knife” and announced that it was leaving the governing coalition. However, the final decision on whether to repeat the municipal elections in Zelino will be made by the election court of Northern Macedonia, to which BESA has appealed.
Christian Mickowski said in yesterday’s press conference that in the near future he will try to form a new government, provided that, as he said, the appropriate conditions are created and there are guarantees for a stable government. Otherwise, as he noted, the only solution for the country is to hold early parliamentary elections as soon as possible.
“In the coming period I will try, I repeat, I will try to form a new government and this will only happen if I am sure that it will be a government with credibility, a government with strong institutions that will guarantee stability, energy and efficiency in reforms and in the changes that will follow. If this goal that I will pursue is not achieved and I do not ensure the formation of such a government, which is necessary to deal with crises and the fight against corruption and crime, which are the key problems in our country, then only “The only option left for us is the quick early parliamentary elections, so that the people of Macedonia can decide on a new future,” Mitskoski said.
However, the assessments of political analysts in Skopje are that it is difficult, at this stage, for Mickoski to form a government, as the Albanian parties that were in favor of the fall of the Zaef government would not accept to participate in such a government under VMRO, in which will include the anti-systemic, populist Levica party, which, among other things, has a purely anti-Albanian profile. The nationalist Levica party is challenging the 2001 Ohrid peace deal, which ended months of fighting between the then National Liberation Army (KLA) – and then-Macedonian government forces, with which Albanians , who make up 25% of the country’s population, received the rights they requested. According to political analysts in Skopje, the most likely scenario, as the political situation unfolds, is the holding of early parliamentary elections in the country.
The leader of VMRO-DPMNE also said that on Monday he expects the resignation of Zoran Zaef and his government and added that if this does not happen, his party will file a motion of censure against the government.
These developments come after the heavy defeat of the Social Democratic Party (SDSM) in last Sunday’s municipal elections and the statement of Zoran Zaef that he will resign as Prime Minister of the country.
In the case of elections, according to current legislation, a caretaker government must be formed 100 days before they are held, which will lead the country until the elections.
Zoran Zaef’s Social Democratic Party, in a statement, accused the leader of the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, Christian Mickovski, of being only interested in power and having no political agenda.
“We will see these days whether a new anti-democratic, anti-NATO and anti-European government will be elected, a government against Prespa and whether Mickoski has the skills and responsibilities. The SDSM is on the side of the citizens, on the side of the national interest and the progress of the country. “We call on all progressive democratic forces and all MPs who are in favor of our country’s European future, justice and economic progress to work together and stand responsibly on the side of democratic choice,” the SDSM statement reads.
Ali Ahmeti, leader of the Albanian DUI party, said in a post on social media that he was in contact with all parties in the country except those opposed to the Ohrid-Prespa Accords, the Northern Macedonia-Bulgaria friendship agreement. as well as the country’s Euro-Atlantic future in order to manage the situation.
The whole scenario is further complicated by the information circulated by part of the Albanian media in Northern Macedonia, that one of the members of the opposition “Alliance for Albanians-Alternative” does not agree with the formation of a parliamentary majority in an alliance with the “ally”. “Levica” and therefore will not support the proposal to overthrow the government of Zoran Zaef.
.
_142619.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1)
