Xhaferi: Gruevski’s MP status to be re-examined in Parliament


Extraordinary coordination with the vice-presidents of parliament and the coordinators of the parliamentary groups for reviewing the status of Nikola Gruevski as an MP, announced Speaker Talat Xhaferi after the former prime minister announced that he had fled to Hungary.

– Members of VMRO-DPMNE’s parliamentary group have so far reported Gruevski as absent from the sessions, which is considered as justified absence. I received such a letter before the beginning of today’s session. But after Gruevski announced he was on the run, we have a new situation. It is illogical that he remains treated as justifiably absent and announcing absences in his parliamentary group, when he himself announced that he was not in the country, but that he was on the run, Xhaferi told Nezavisen Vesnik.

He points out that the regulations that relate to the work of the parliament do not address this situation, but that mechanisms can be found to regulate differently the status of a MP who does not participate in the work of the legislature. Xhaferi says he can not make a decision on his own and hence he will hurry to call for coordination on the issue of Gruevski’s absences to be regulated before tomorrow’s continuation of the current session if it does not end today or before the start of the first new session.

Last Friday, the parliamentary plenum did not adopt the proposal to deprive Gruevski of his parliamentary mandate because a two-thirds majority was not provided for it. This opened an opportunity for the former prime minister to go to jail and to continue to have the status of MP and get his MP salary from the parliament. But Gruevski has kept his parliamentary mandate, he did not go to prison, but fled to Budapest.

According to the Constitution, a mandate is terminated for a Member of Parliament when convicted of a criminal offense for which a prison sentence of at least five years is considered. The MP may be deprived of his mandate when convicted of a criminal or other offense that makes him unworthy of performing the post of Member of Parliament, as well as for unjustified absence from the Assembly for more than six months.

(AMM)