Zaev: Referendum issue to be defined at leaders’ meeting

The referendum, which should be held this coming autumn in accordance with the name agreement with Greece, will be put on the table at the leaders’ meeting later in the day, announced Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.

“At the leaders’ meeting I expect us to define the referendum issue, meaning to set a date when the referendum could take place, to define the referendum question and the character of the referendum, the State Election Commission and everything related to it. I expect us to demonstrate that we are, indeed, for the European Union and NATO and that we all want to provide a future for Macedonia and for all of its citizens,” Zaev told reporters during his visit to Stip on Wednesday.

He urged the parties to ‘meet their obligations towards the citizens according to the Constitution and laws.’

“We must appoint new members of the State Election Commission after the resignations of the previous structure. The party leaders announced that such an agreement was reached at the latest leaders’ meeting we had. The law should be implemented after it was adopted in May, I believe. The country has no State Election Commission since late 2017 and we should put an end to this,” PM Zaev noted.

The law on amendments to the Electoral Code has been forwarded to parliament for pragmatic reasons, according to him. “I hope the Macedonian parliament will decide to fill the vacant posts in the State Election Commission,” Zaev concluded.