Opposition decimated, new detentions possible

In the following period, the parliamentary opposition will function with six members less, if the Parliament votes in the same manner as the Commission for procedural and mandatory immunity issues voted yesterday, regarding the lifting of immunity for violence on April 27.

All five MPs from the ranks of the majority, at a session of the authorised Commission, voted to deprive the immunity of their colleagues from the VMRO-DPMNE’s parliamentary groups: Krsto Mukoski, Johan Tarculovski, Zaklina Pesevska, Ljuben Arnaudovski, Ljupco Dimovski and Saso Vasilevski. The final decision should now be adopted by the parliamentary plenum.

If the majority secured 61 votes to revoke the immunity of these six members of parliament, they could get detention up to 30 days, with the possibility of appealing the decision, as well as the possibility of its extension. This means that VMRO-DPMNE’s parliamentary groups, which are now the most numerous in the legislature – with 51 MPs, will be reduced to a maximum of 45 members for at least one month, compared to 50 MPs from SDSM.

Actually, after yesterday’s information about the possible connection of other MPs in the events on April 27, the question now is whether this case will be closed with the six suspects who were deprived from immunity. According to ‘Deutsche Welle’, on Tuesday morning, the police searched the home of former Parliament speaker from VMRO-DPMNE, Trajko Veljanoski, in Skopje and in the home of Vesel Memedi, a member of NDP, in Gostivar, whose party was in coalition with the ruling Alliance of Albanians. As reported, mobile phones were confiscated from both men.

There are still no details from the investigation, but, reportedly, it is suspected that their phones contain information about that day, calls that could help clarify certain activities. For now, it is unclear whether the police suspects connection to their mutual communication or communication with other persons connected to the events on April 27.

Contrary to previous dramatic experiences in situations where immunity from (opposition) MPs (Ljube Boskoski, Vlado Buckovski) was taken away, yesterday’s commission session was unexpectedly peaceful, in the absence of deputies of VMRO-DPMNE, and lasted for only half an hour. The only speaker was Aleksandar Kiracovski from SDSM, who said that the April 27 events were an attack on democracy and the constitutional order of the country and an attempt to endanger the life of MPs from SDSM and other parties. According to Kiracovski, the institutions in Macedonia have all credibility and responsibility to solve this case completely, and bring justice to light, so crimes of these proportions never reoccur.

– Personally, even when the government was elected, I forgave our fellow Members, all those who took part in this event, because it’s human to forgive, and they themselves were not aware of the kind of game they were drawn into, and what actually could have happened. But I see that they would never forgive the one who ordered them to engage in something  they are going to regret and be ashamed of for the rest of their live,” said Kiracovski.
Yesterday afternoon, while decision on immunity was in process, opposition MPs were nowhere to be found  the in parliament. Later, VMRO-DPMNE’s parliamentary group gave a statement, assessing that the decision of the Commission for Rules of Procedure and Mandate-Immunity Issues was not based on facts and arguments, but SDSM’s will for political revenge.
“Depriving MPs of freedom is evidence for the lack of legal system and a breach of the Constitution. The message sent by SDSM is that it does not want to have opposition while they are in power, neither in parliament nor outside of it, “their statement said. The VMRO-DPMNE Parliamentary Group and the coalition, as they point out, do not want to give legitimacy to unstable decisions. According to them, the Committee on Rules of Procedure and Mandate-Immunity Issues silenced and transgressed the violation of the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly.
The absence of reaction by VMRO-DPMNE at the committee meeting about the deprivation of immunity is surprising, given the fact that the opposition party organized protests and blockades at crossroads in the capital again yesterday afternoon. Yesterday morning, the party announced blockades and protests throughout Skopje, and they will go on for as long as SDSM’s attack on Macedonia continues.
The procedure for removing immunity from the six MPs, began after a preliminary meeting in the Speaker’s Talat Xhaferi office, along with Prime Minister and SDSM leader Zoran Zaev and DUI leader Ali Ahmeti. Previously, a meeting between Zaev and VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski took place in the presidential residence, at the invitation of the head of state Gjorge Ivanov. The opposition protesters who were gathered before the Criminal Court, left soon after. Hours after the meeting with Gruevski, Zaev stated that he told his opponent he expected the opposition’s involvement in the country’s processes and reforms.
VMRO-DPMNE protested before the court house in Skopje again yesterday, but, for now, there are no announcements for major opposition obstructions in the work of parliament. So far, the only thing that is obstructed is the amendment debate on the budget of the Commission for financing and budget headed by Liljana Kuzmanovska from VMRO-DPMNE, which should be completed in ten days’ period. The 2018 budget committee was postponed yesterday and rescheduled for today.

Aleksandra M. Mitevska