Skopje, 26 January 2024 (MIA) – Talat Xhaferi, who is set to lead the country as caretaker Prime Minister in the upcoming transitional government, has received all proposals from the political parties over ministers and deputy ministers in the new government and will deliver them to the Speaker of Parliament on Saturday.

The move paves the way for the holding of a plenary session over a vote for the caretaker government. The session is expected to be held on Sunday. Parliament’s press office said it would provide more information over the session on Saturday afternoon.

On Friday, Parliament verified the resignation of Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi, after which the country’s President, Stevo Pendarovski, presented him with the mandate for the creation of the future government.

After the vote in Parliament on Sunday, the transitional government will lead the country for 100 days until the general elections scheduled for May 8.

In the caretaker government, opposition party VMRO-DPMNE holds the ministerial posts at the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy. They will also have deputy ministers in the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Information Society and Administration, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy.

The party put forward Panche Toshkovski as a candidate for caretaker Interior Minister, and Gjoko Velkovski as Minister of Labor and Social Policy. It also proposed Elena Petrova for the position of additional Deputy Minister of Finance, Stefan Andonovski as additional Deputy Minister of Information Society and Administration, and Cvetan Tripunovski as additional Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy.

Ruling party SDSM put forward Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski’s chief of staff, Mitko Bojmacliev, as its candidate for additional Deputy Minister of Interior, and Jovanka Trenchevska for additional Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy.

The party’s Central Board also proposed Viktorija Avramovska-Madikj for Deputy Minister of Justice; Maja Manoleva, Deputy Minister of Health; Aleksandar Bajdeski, Deputy Minister of Information Society and Administration; Filip Nikolovski, Deputy Minister of Finance; Miki Krstev, Deputy Minister of Local Self-Government.

The current ministers of culture; environment and physical planning; transport and communications; defense; agriculture, forestry and water economy, who come from SDSM’s ranks, will keep their posts.

DUI and the Alliance for Albanians told MIA that the ministers coming from their ranks would remain in their posts as well.

Photo: MIA Archive