Skopje, 9 November 2021 (MIA) – MPs on Thursday will vote for a motion of no confidence against the government after being scheduled by Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi. The session comes after an initiative, signed by 61 MPs, was filed by VMRO-DPMNE together with Alliance for Albanians and Alternativa, Besa and Levica. According to party sources, Xhaferi has invited PM Zoran Zaev to a meeting in Parliament with DUI leader Ali Ahmeti also being there. So far, it is uncertain how many lawmakers will vote for no confidence of Zaev’s government on Thursday. SDSM told MIA that Xhaferi has called Zaev to personally inform him about the submitted motion for Government no-confidence vote and next steps in line with the Rules of Procedure. “In compliance with Article 215, Paragraph 2 of the Parliament’s Rules of Procedures, Speaker Talat Xhaferi schedules the session on the third day from the motion’s submission, namely Thursday, 11 November, at 11 a.m., Xhaferi’s office said a in a press release. Filing the motion on Monday, VMRO-DPMNE MP Aleksandar Nikolovski  said he expected 61 MPs, or more, to pass the no-confidence motion against the government in addition to AA MP Skender Rexhepi’s position. Nikolovski, who is the vice president of VMRO-DPMNE, said negotiations are under way with several other lawmakers to join the newly-formed majority. The government led by SDSM and DUI has failed to produce important results in the past five years, Nikolovski said speaking to members of the media in Parliament. “Rather than maintaining the dignity of the country and its citizens, every passing day they are pushing the people further and further into poverty, rising inflation growth and scandals multiplying day by day,” he said citing the initiative for no-confidence vote. Reacting to the government no-confidence motion, PM Zaev in a Facebook post said ‘our cause is civil and statesman-like and I know it is backed by a majority of our citizens and a majority of our lawmakers.” “Democracy, freedom, solidarity and unity are our values,” he stressed. “These past days we are witnessing endangerment of the Prespa Agreement, the Friendship Treaty with Bulgaria, the Ohrid Framework Agreement and the one society for all concept, of the peace of the citizens in the country and the good relations with the neighbors,” said Zaev. The ruling party SDSM also issued a press release saying that the coming days will show if Mickoski and VMRO-DPMNE have the required number of lawmakers to support a Government no-confidence vote. Late on Friday, VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski announced that a new majority has been established in Parliament after a meeting with the leaders and representatives of several parties, including Alliance for Albanians, Alternativa, Besa and Levica. It is yet uncertain how many lawmakers will vote for the no-confidence motion against the government on Thursday after the Alternativa MP, Skender Rexhepi said he would withdraw his backing for the initiative if Levica remained one of the signatories for the initiative to topple Zaev’s government. In a Facebook post, Levica leader Dimitar Apasiev urged the MPs of the parliamentary parties of the Albanian bloc to back the government no-confidence vote saying they have a historic chance to put DUI in opposition. Following yesterday’s developments, SDSM MP Martin Kostovski launched an initiative for Zaev to remain as leader of the party of Social Democrats. Many of Zaev’s party fellows, coalition partners and politicians from the international community believe that his resignation announcement was hasty and at an emotional moment. A majority of the total number of lawmakers should vote in favor of a no-confidence motion against a government. If a government loses a no-confidence vote, it resigns, according to the Constitution.