Skopje, 8 November 2021 (MIA) – Prime Minister Zoran Zaev’s resignation is hasty and made at an emotional moment, according to many of his party fellows, coalition partners, as well as top officials from the international community. Most of them are of the opinion that the country is facing major reforms which are only viable with stable institutions. Party fellows and coalition partners urge Zaev to take a wise decision, so that the country doesn’t fall into a political crisis which would have consequences for the whole society.  Among other things, they point out that this is a time when the country is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of health and in terms of the economy, while an energy crisis looms. In addition, they call attention to the misunderstandings with Bulgaria which are to be resolved, in order to unblock the European integration process by starting the accession negotiations. According to them, the political rivals offer the exact opposite because, they add, Hristijan Mickoski’s supporters keep denying the Prespa Agreement, the Friendship Treaty, the Ohrid Framework Agreement, but also spark interethnic tensions at home. SDSM MP Martin Kostovski was the first to set up the initiative that Zaev remains at the helm of the party. “I, Martin Kostovski, President of SDSM Kumanovo, submit an initiative today to all Social Democrats in the country in support of the leader Zoran Zaev. Unequivocal and unreserved support for him to remain in the leadership position in SDSM. With honesty and dignity, responsibility and courage, we have given a lot during these 5 years for Macedonia, for SDSM,” says Kostovski who was also backed by party officials and members. Coalition partners also called on Zaev to reconsider his decision and voiced support for the Government reaffirming that the parliamentary majority is stable and responsible towards the future of the country and the people. They urged him to reconsider his resignation as Prime Minister, and as SDSM leader. “He must not resign. The country’s facing serious challenges. Zaev has a mandate and cannot resign. We have a government program. We have major projects that we have promised,” said DUI leader Ali Ahmeti after Zaev announced his resignation. DOM’s Maja Morachanin, ahead of the meeting with Zaev and government coalition parties, said they don’t support snap parliamentary elections and forming a new parliamentary majority because the country needs stability, is faced with energy crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic is still going on. Zaev’s resignation created a stir in the international community as well, most notably with the neighbors signatories to the Prespa Agreement. “If there’s a change of government, this will certainly bring a lot of pressure on the Agreement, on the proper implementation of the Prespa Agreement, which is an issue for us. But, I believe it will create multiple problems for North Macedonia itself regarding its European course,” said Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis. Zaev’s resignation is bad news for the country’s reform efforts and the future of the European project as a whole, said Nils Schmid, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) parliamentary group’s spokesperson for foreign affairs in the German Bundestag, Deutsche Welle reports. Schmid points out that despite the compromises, primarily the country’s name change, he failed, not by his own fault, to make significant progress in the EU enlargement process. According to him, Zaev’s resignation will have repercussions on the EU enlargement process in the region.