The situation where Prime Minister Zoran Zaev is simultaneously conducting his duties as a Minister of Finance is contrary to the Law of Corruption prevention and conflict of Interest, regardless of temporary performing this duty, warned today the Platform of civil organizations for fighting corruption.
“Despite the temporary performing of a second duty, we think that an obligation of the institutions is to obey the law, which is managing issues where the responsibility, which also includes the authority, cannot be concentrated into one center of power, but through control and balance, where the responsibility should be divided among several factors that will be mutually controlled. The distribution of power is one of the pillars of the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia and following the laws is one of the basic principles of good governance among liberal democracies” said the press release.
The Platform also stresses that “each disturbance of the balance between the political and institutional managing can be a serious obstacle to the efforts for an efficient fight against corruption and organized crime. A similar situation was done with the choice of the director of the Agency for a National Security, warn the NGOs.
“This refers to the appointment of a member of the ruling party for a Director of the Agency for National Security which is contrary to Article 10 (Paragraph 1, Article 7). The reform of the security services is the foundation of the process of freeing the state and the institutions from any political interest.
According to the civil society, this political and institutional couplement only hinders the fight against high corruption and additionally prevent the making of rational anti-corruption policies based on analysis, that is a basis for longterm and sustainable good governance. Key laws, such as the proposed Law for Public Prosecution are entrapped in the process of negotiating in the process of party and personal interests without taking into account the joint public interest” said the warning issued by the Platform.
