Skopje, 26 May 2024 (MIA) — VMRO-DPMNE has not reached a final agreement regarding its potential government coalition partners but talks are ongoing in a positive atmosphere, the party's spokesman Naum Stoilkovski said in response to a question whether the ZNAM Movement would be part of their government and if so, which ministries they would get to run.

Late on Saturday evening, the ZNAM Movement issued a press release that they had held talks with VMRO-DPMNE's vice presidents to discuss cooperation.

According to the release, they discussed cooperating based on strategic committments and political principles. The ZNAM election platform, they said, was based on "Macedonia being a modern, democratic, European state, based on Ilinden and ASNOM values."

Also highlighting as priorities the country's integration into the European Union with dignity, justice for all and zero tolerance for corruption, becoming self-sustainable in producing food and energy, implementing reforms to improve the living standard, and maintaining stable ethnic relations, ZNAM representatives insisted that the new government include these goals into its agenda, the release said.

Earlier on Saturday, the VMRO-DPMNE spokesman said the talks between potential government coalition partners Worth It were well under way but they would not share any details before the official announcement of the outcome.

VMRO-DPMNE previously said they had consolidated 61 MP seats and expected to form the new government by June 20. The constitutive session of the new Parliament has been scheduled for May 28. 

The new parliamentary composition includes 58 MPs from VMRO-DPMNE's coalition, 18 MPs from SDSM's coalition, 18 MPs from DUI's coalition, 14 MPs from the Worth It coalition, six MPs from Levica, and six MPs from ZNAM. mr/