Skopje, 5 February 2024 (MIA) — Caretaker Parliament Speaker Jovan Mitreski in a TV appearance Monday evening said he would announce on Feb. 14 the date of the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Mitreski said that according to the Constitution, the date needed to be announced 70 to 90 days prior to the elections. "April 24 is the first round for the presidential elections," he said, adding that he had consulted with the State Election Commission before deciding when to announce the date.

"I will call the presidential election on Feb. 14 and my plan is to call the parliamentary election on the same day," the caretaker parliament speaker said in '360 degrees' on MRT 1.

Mitreski said Parliament would convene until the end of March or the beginning of April.

"We are abiding by the Constitution and the constitutional deadlines for holding elections, because these are regular parliamentary elections happening for the first time in 16 years," he said.

He added that there was some public confusion regarding Parliament "because when a snap election is held, Parliament is dissolved by a vote by the MPs, but in this case Parliament works until the end of its term." This would be late March or early April, he said.

Asked if Parliament should limit its work only to election-related matters, since its primary task right now was to ensure fair and democratic elections, Mitreski said the state, too, had to stay functional during the 100-day caretaker government and that there were several bills that needed to be voted on during parliamentary sessions. mr/