Zaev announces replacement of 8 ministers and 20 heads of public institutions
North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev after SDSM Central Board meeting in Ohrid yesterday said that he will reassemble the government and will replace eight ministers and 20 heads of public institutions instead of announcing snap parliamentary elections.
The government reshuffle will be completed by end of June whereat there will be no early elections because the date for the start of EU accession negotiations is certain, he said.
Zaev said on Sunday that the government should continue its mandate and focus on the country’s integration processes – NATO membership, for which accession protocol has already been ratified by 17 member states and to join NATO by the end of this or the beginning of the next year and to get a date to start EU accession talks.
He explained that the initial concept of government reshuffle, which did not exclude the possibility of early elections or return of the mandate, was directed to the EU member states that they are obliged to deliver a date for negotiations.
He said that he will not allow the return of radicalism, populism, nationalism in the country, repeated divisions in the society, quarrels with neighbours.
“For the stability of the country, it is essential this government to stay and no new elections to be planned,” German Ambassador Thomas Norbert Gerberich said on Sunday at “Prespa Meet” event.
According to him, the Prespa Agreement is a historic agreement that is very important for the whole region, and in terms of whether there will be a political crisis if the country does not get a date to launch EU accession talks, he said that Prime Minister Zoran Zaev will not resign, since he had done a good job over the past two years.
He expressed satisfaction that together with the French Ambassador Christian Timonier are invited to an event that is taking place just at the first anniversary of the Prespa Agreement.
Zaev also made changes within his party as well. The SDSM’s Executive Board now has 16 new members including Frosina Remenski, Blagojce Bocvarski, Renata Deskovska, Kostadin Konstantinov, Esras Alihi, Gjoko Tanasoski, Vesna Gjersan, Vasko Talevski, Tanja Stojanovska-Ivanova, Dragan Tevdovski, Ljatifa Shikovska, Stefan Bogoev, Keti Vasilevska, Nina Velkova, Petre Shilegov and Marinela Ojleska.
Dusko Veskovski is elected organizational secretary, while the secretary for international cooperation will be Dane Talevski. Martin Popov will be director of SDSM’s Analytical and Research Centre.