Yesterday, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announced that early parliamentary elections would be possible if the constitutional changes stipulated by the Agreement with Greece are not passed in Parliament. He announced a possible date for an election on November 25, however, the laws state otherwise.
On July 23, in the MPs Clubhouse, at the leadership meeting between the four main political parties, MPs had to agreed on a referendum stance. On the last day of negotiations, Zaev, in the middle of the day, came out and confirmed that the parties agreed to amend several laws but did not reach a referendum agreement. He then announced that they had agreed on a “Przino Government” before every election.
Parliament voted these amendments two days later with 99 votes “for”.
“These three leadership meetings took a lot of nerves, patience and leadership. Today, we agreed that the leadership meeting finish, and what agreement we will reach depends on us all. We accepted the request, a technical government, in the format identical to the Przino Government, to be conduct at every subsequent election. What remains to be agreed is the ballot question for the referendum, the character of the referendum and the date,” Zaev said briefly at the time.
After two days, the amendments to the laws was put before MPs and were voted in without any debate. At the time, breaking news was that a new State Election Commission had been elected, and the changes to the Law on Government remained insignificant because they were rushing the procedures for conducting the referendum.
Amendments to the Law on Government are foreseen 100 days prior to the day of the election for Members of Parliament in the Assembly and after the President of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia resigns, the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia will elect a new, transitional Government for the conduct of parliamentary elections, led by a new president of government nominating the largest political party that forms the government’s majority.
It is also planned to elect a new Minister of Internal Affairs and Labor and Social Policy on the proposal of the opposition with the largest number of MPs in the Parliament, after prior consultation with the two political parties with the largest number of MPs in the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia.
This “Przino Government” is also envisaged by additional deputy ministers of foreign affairs and labor and social policy proposed by the ruling head of state. On the proposal of the opposition there will be additional deputy ministers of finance, agriculture and information society.
