At midnight today, the President of Parliament Trajko Veljannoski should be discussing the dissolution of Parliament, allowing the required 60 days before elections, as provided for by the Electoral Code.
In July, the leaders of the four main political parties, all agreed at Przino, that the political opposition would return to their seats in Parliament, as one measure in solving the current political crisis.
Since then, Parliament ought to have resolved key issues to placate the political crisis, but has proved unsuccessful in this endeavour.
• Through the Belgian facilitator Peter Vanhoutte the Inquiry Commission was formed which was supposed to solve the scandal surrounding the wiretapped conversations. The Commission held a several meetings. At the time, the current Prime Minister was called as a witness, but decided to testify behind closed doors. The Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski also wanted to testify behind closed doors, which stalled the commission’s work. MPs failed to submit a report on the work of the commission.
• The other Inquiry Committee had a similar fate regarding the ID affair. The SDSM refused to participate in this committee with the explanation that there is already a committee to resolve the scandal.
• MPs have still not introduced the Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services, which according to the SDSM, there can not be free and fair elections without it.
• For future MPs, the legacy on the law for witness protection will remain, submitted by the Special Prosecution Office, where they announced that they have submitted the initiative for amendments to the law, and have required that the SPP obtain jurisdiction in proceedings for the protection of witnesses.
• The next composition of Parliament will need laws to protect the privacy of whistle-blowers to complement the recommendations that were part of the Venice Commission.
