Macedonia gov’t gets new health minister

62 MPs voted Monday in favor of electing Venko Filipce as the new health minister. There were no votes against and only one was in abstention.

Speaking in Parliament, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said the government proposed the neurosurgeon to take up the post of minister of health.

“I hope that today the Parliament will reach a decision to elect a minister after which the government is going to be completed,” Zaev stated.

The post of health minister has been vacant since the October local elections after Filipce’s predecessor Arben Taravari had quit the ministry to run for mayor of the municipality of Gostivar.

Also, MPs elected Aksel Ahmedovski as minister without portfolio in charge of implementing the Roma Inclusion Strategy, who succeeds Samka Ibraimovski. At the same time, Parliament dismissed Vlaste Dimkovic from the post of deputy agriculture minister and appointed Blage Cvetkovic to assume the post. The new deputy minister of education is Arbr Ademi after being elected today in Parliament.

Moreover, MPs verified the resignations of eight members of the State Election Commission, including its president and vice president.