Skopje, 19 May 2023 (MIA) – Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski in answer to a journalist’s question Friday over the stability of the coalition, said that during their meeting the coalition partners agreed to launch a discussion within the Parliamentary Committee on Political System and establish a group tasked with drafting a vetting legislation. The partners also agreed for the discussion over the single electoral district to take place within Parliament, and all aspects of the political parties to be taken into account.

“We already spoke with Angelov, and we had a meeting with the coalition partners regarding the request, but due to the legal inability to implement it, we will meet again and find a solution. When it comes to Balkoski, I am fully aware of his positions, and we have the same goal, but a different approach because he is an expert in that area and believes we should have a different approach when it comes to certain legislation. However, I think the realization of the goal for the construction of the corridors from all aspects is an imperative for all political parties,” said Kovachevski.

Regarding the reforms in the judiciary – the vetting law, the coalition partners agreed to launch a discussion within the Parliamentary Committee on Political System and establish a group charged with drafting legislation with the participation of experts, and the invitation of relevant experienced EU experts with the goal of producing a suitable legislation and procedures that will ensure a process that provides the desired effect.

Regarding the draft legislation over a single electoral district, the parties from the coalition agreed that the discussion should be led within Parliament, and that, according to the PM, all aspects of the political parties should be taken into account.

“There are different opinions over the Electoral Code, both within the coalition and the opposition. SDSM is a party that has a single electoral district in its manifesto, but in Parliament we will discuss the specifics on whether there should be an electoral threshold, there shouldn’t, the representation of ethnic communities, gender representation in the electoral lists, etc.” said Kovachevski.

At the meeting, said the Prime Minister, the coalition partners expressed their support for the continuation of the EU path. 

“The political parties voiced their support for the continuation of the European path. Today we find ourselves at a crossroads, whether to continue with the EU accession at a higher pace, or whether the country should remain isolated yet again as it already was for 11 years in the past,” said Kovachevski.

Asked what will happen if the requests of the smaller coalition partners aren’t fulfilled, Kovachevski stressed that for him there are no smaller or larger coalition partner, but only coalition partners that he respects due to their ideological and program commitments upon which their policies are based.

“In such a variety of coalition partners, when you have socialists, liberals, greens etc. there is always a process of trying to come to an agreement. Today we agreed to launch a discussion over the reforms in the judiciary, the implementation of a system in which elected officials in the judiciary will be able to be summoned to a public discussion in Parliament in order to answer to the MPs who elected them, and we also agreed over legislation in the field of responsibility and accountability. Upon my proposal we also spoke about upgrading individual transparency which can then be transformed into sanctioning improper actions. Regarding the Electoral Code, all parties will have to reach an agreement over the Electoral Code and what it will look like, because we have time until the next elections,” concluded Kovachevski.

Photo: Government of North Macedonia