At today’s continuation of the constitutive session of Parliament, two statements were given that might suggest that there is some displacement of the positions of the parties.
Firstly, Krsto Mukoski, an MP from VMRO-DPMNE, said that the way out of the political crisis is a leadership meeting.
“Dear colleagues, the number of days passing are hitting record numbers while we express our dissatisfaction with the platform which SDSM is being blackmailed with. I want to appeal to everyone’s common sense, to hold a leadership meeting for the leaders to sit down at the negotiating table and decide for the good of the country, to discuss all issues and resolve them by compromise, and then hold elections and let the citizens decide”, said Mukoski.
To this replied SDSM spokesperson, Petre Shilegov who said that while VMRO-DPMNE wants a leadership meeting, SDSM will not agree.
“What would we discuss at a leadership meeting and who will we be talking to? We had a leadership meeting, and on the basis of those leadership meetings, the Przino Agreement was reached. The ultimate goal of those agreements was to hold parliamentary elections. The results of those elections were not contested by anyone, including VMRO-DPMNE. We will not play elections just because of Gruevski’s unfulfilled wish to make a parliamentary majority”, said Shilegov.
Pavle Bogoevski, an independent MP from the SDSM led coalition said from the rostrum “There will be no new early election organized by this government because it no longer represents the legitimacy of the citizens.”
Until now, both parties clearly stood by their stances that new elections are needed. VMRO-DPMNE’s position is new elections, while SDSM’ position is the urgent formation of the Government.
Such statements can be interpreted as a testing ground for various scenarios and the starting position at the negotiating table which is an eventual possibility. One of the scenarios, if judged by today’s statements, could be negotiations, or a leadership meeting regarding the transitional Government with a limited mandate who will organize new elections.
