Either a debate on amendments, or a ruling in court

The next two weeks will be crucial for the possible return of the VMRO-DPMNE MPs to the Parliament. Then it is expected that the Criminal Court in Skopje will decide whether to extend the detention of the five MPs from the opposition, suspected of last year’s violence in parliament. In the “White Palace” they expect Krsto Mukoski and Saso Vasilevski to be released from the “Skopje” prison in the settlement of Suto Orizari, and Ljuben Arnaudov, Ljupco Dimovski and Johan Tarculovski to be released from the house arrest, thus all six suspected deputies along with the already “liberated” Zaklina Pesevska, to defend themselves from freedom. And, more importantly, for VMRO-DPMNE to participate in parliamentary work. Although parliamentary immunity has been taken away, they can still go to their work place and do their jobs.

The release of the VMRO-DPMNE MPs from custody was one of the topics discussed by party leader Hristijan Mickoski and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on Sunday evening at the government headquarters. Mickoski himself says that the issue is of a mathematical nature, because VMRO-DPMNE cannot feel comfortable in the Parliament when 12 percent of its MPs are in detention.

“Inter-party working groups by the end of the week should reach a consensus on many open issues, including the opposition to feel comfortable in parliament. Political terror is what our lawmakers feel in detention, and is a negative and deviant phenomenon,” Mickovski said. Prime Minister Zaev has reiterated that he has an absolute understanding of VMRO-DPMNE’s position on detention, that is, until the parliamentary group is completed – they are not returning in parliament, and added: “I want to say once again that we have no intention of exerting pressure on the judiciary.”

VMRO-DPMNE is aware that Zaev is not the one who decides on possible detention because the judiciary is independent, but argues that in practice things do not work that way, and if the president of the government shows the will to release the lawmakers, the court will have difficult arguments to resist. The party clarified that they have not yet submitted an amendment to the Amnesty Law or proposed a special law to stop the proceedings and release those who participated in the bad events of April 27, 2017. There will be a new meeting between Mickoski and Zaev during the month.

“The biggest differences we have are about the law on languages. We insist on discussing the amendments that we have submitted, after all 35,000, unless the Government agrees to establish a working group that will include experts, members of MANU and President Ivanov’s advisers, after which, above all, the unconstitutional elements in the law will be removed. Since we do not see the will to do this, we would not be surprised if they push the law without ever discussing our amendments, but then they will violate the Rules of Procedure and the laws, will commit a crime, and it will be brought to justice. And they will answer in court, “a senior official in VMRO-DPMNE said.

Zaev and Mickoski also discussed the name dispute, that is, the negotiations with Greece, while the leader of VMRO-DPMNE concluded that there was no shift from the presented views at the leadership meeting in late January. The leader of the main opposition party reiterated that they will not support a change of the Constitution, and the identity issue should not be discussed.

Goran Adamovski