Skopje, 15 November 2023 (MIA) - I do not see myself as the next Prime Minister, I do not believe it will be me, in fact I know that I will not be the next PM of North Macedonia, said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Political System and Inter-Community Relations Artan Grubi on Wednesday.

In response to a reporter's question about the next PM, Grubi said DUI leader Ali Ahmeti should put forward a proposal on the next PM in accordance with the coalition agreement, adding that he believes all MPs will support the next candidate, be it male or female, and the caretaker government in the last 100 days before the end of the mandate.

Regarding his position on holding the presidential and parliamentary elections together or separately, he said there will be meetings with coalition partners to align a common position, adding that DUI is prepared for both options.

The Deputy PM noted he does not believe that the Alliance for Albanians, as party leader Arben Taravari previously said, can leave the Government and said that they have excellent cooperation with their ministers, and the lower echelon.

"We make joint efforts to integrate the country in the EU, and we see that there is an opportunity for cooperation in the next elections following the same agenda. Therefore, I do not believe that in the coming period, month-or-two, until a caretaker government is formed, any of the other political parties will cause a crisis," Grubi said.

"In terms of Taravari's reasoning that it would happen because of the amnesty law, he added that DUI supported the law and that it "passed where it needed to pass."

"Unfortunately, things are different in Parliament, and MPs, media and citizens fell for the propaganda that the amnesty law had something to do with the Criminal Code amendments, or the fabricated rumor about the return of former PM Nikola Gruevski. This propaganda failed to sufficiently explain the motive for the amnesty law, which was adopted by the previous government, led by SDSM and DUI, which reduced prison charges for an alarming number of 2,000 sentenced persons in order to reduce overcrowding. That is why we supported that process, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the Criminal Code, or constitutional amendments," Grubi stressed.

Regarding his assessment of statements made by the Albanian oppositional block that they have several conditions for the constitutional amendments, he said that he has not heard them.

"I have not heard the statements of the so-called Albanian opposition because I do not need to. They only translate and repeat announcements and statements made by VMRO-DPMNE, they even say what VMRO-DPMNE cannot, they simply act as VMRO-DPMNE spokespersons," Grubi said. ssh/nn/

Photo: MIA