Skopje, 7 June 2023 (MIA) - VMRO-DPMNE is prepared to enter a government with SDSM and other political parties but without DUI in it, said party leader Hristijan Mickoski after the meeting with Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski whom he told that VMRO-DPMNE and the coalition remains on its position it will not support the constitutional amendments under Bulgarian dictate and under the current circumstances.

Mickoski said Kovachevski proposed at the meeting that the Parliament starts a discussion and endorses the need for constitutional amendments, followed by the formation of a government in which five of the ten departments managed by SDSM would be given to VMRO-DPMNE.

"He proposed that once the constitutional amendments are adopted and the negotiations start, the government would administer parliamentary elections," said Mickoski.

To this, the VMRO-DPMNE leader said the party was prepared to enter a government with SDSM and other political parties but not DUI.

"VMRO-DPMNE is prepared to join such government, while considering that a caretaker government is charged with administering the elections 100 days prior to the polls, whereas the constitutional amendments to enter into force once the parliaments of 27 member-states start the ratification of Macedonia's accession protocol to the Union," said Mickoski.

He added that the PM interpreted the proposal as violation of the negotiating framework.

"I then proposed that we hold early elections in autumn, form a national unity government without DUI, and since no country opposes Macedonia's ages-long identity, tradition, culture, customs, Macedonian language, I am prepared to talk to several prime ministers over a European Council endorsing a confirmation or guarantee so that we see if the situation is what they claim to be. Bulgaria now has a legitimate government and this document can be presented before the Macedonian citizens, showing that Europe stands behind the ages-long Macedonian identity," said Mickoski.

He also noted that the 44 lawmakers of VMRO-DPMNE and its coalition supported the position that the constitutional amendments would not be endorsed.