Skopje, 28 January 2024 (MIA) – At a session Sunday, Parliament elected the caretaker Government led by Talat Xhaferi with 65 votes in favor and 3 against. The session was attended by 111 MPs. VMRO-DPMNE’s MPs abstained from voting for the caretaker Government. The main task of the caretaker Government is the holding of fair and democratic parliamentary elections.

Prime Minister Xhaferi and the elected ministers were sworn in after the vote at the session.

The first Deputy Prime Minister in the caretaker Government and Deputy Prime Minister for European affairs will be Bojan Marichikj, while Artan Grubi will hold the post of Minister of Political System and Inter-Community Relations.

VMRO-DPMNE’s Panche Toshkovski is set to be the Minister of Interior, while Gjoko Velkovski will hold the post of Minister of Labor and Social Policy.

Several ministers from SDSM, DUI and the Alliance for Albanians will retain their current posts: Justice Minister Krenar Lloga; Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani; Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi; Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi; Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy Ljupcho Nikolovski; Health Minister Fatmir Mexhiti; Education Minister Jeton Shaqiri; Local Self-Government Minister Risto Penov; Culture Minister Bisera Kostadinovska-Stojchevska; Minister of Information Society and Administration Azir Aliu; Minister of Transport and Communications Blagoj Bochvarski; Minister of Environment and Physical Planning; as well as Fatmir Bytyqi, Minister without portfolio in charge of economic affairs; and Slavica Grkovska, Minister without portfolio in charge of good governance policies.

Parliament is expected to hold another session after the vote for the caretaker government, during which it will vote for the additional deputy ministers and verify the mandate of one MP who would replace Talat Xhaferi.

Ruling party SDSM put forward former Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski’s chief of staff, Mitko Bojmacliev, as its candidate for additional Deputy Minister of Interior, and Jovanka Trenchevska for additional Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy.

VMRO-DPMNE proposed Elena Petrova for the position of additional Deputy Minister of Finance, Stefan Andonovski as additional Deputy Minister of Information Society and Administration, and Cvetan Tripunovski as additional Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy.

The transitional government will lead the country 100 days until the general elections on May 8, and will remain in charge until the election of a new government.

Xhaferi’s government is set to be the country’s third transitional or caretaker government since 2016. The caretaker government in 2016 was led by Emil Dimitriev, while the one in 2020 was headed by Oliver Spasovski.

Photo: MIA