Skopje, 16 February 2026 (MIA) - The Council of Public Prosecutors is expected to hold its 38th session on Tuesday (Feb. 17), with a single agenda item: providing an opinion to the government of the Republic of North Macedonia regarding the proposal for the appointment of a public prosecutor of the Republic of North Macedonia.

In line with legal deadlines, the Council must, within 15 days, issue a positive or negative opinion to the government, after which the government submits to Parliament one of the candidates who has received a positive opinion.

On February 3, the government adopted a conclusion on the five candidates for chief prosecutor and delivered it to the Council.

The names of the candidates have not been officially revealed, but those reported to be in the running are current acting chief prosecutor Anita Topolova-Isajlovska, prosecutor Lenche Ristovska, Criminal Court judge Nenad Saveski, former head of the Criminal Court Vladimir Panchevski, and prosecutor Lidija Raichevikj.

Anita Topolova Isajlovska was elected acting state chief public prosecutor, succeeding Ljupcho Kocevski who resigned on December 17, 2025. Topolova Isajlovska serves as chief state public prosecutor until a new one is elected, no longer than six months.

Parliament launched the procedure for selecting a new state public prosecutor on January 12, setting a 15-day deadline for submitting applications from the date of publication in the Official Gazette. Candidates are required to have a minimum of 10 years of uninterrupted work experiences as public prosecutors or judges in the field of criminal law.

According to the Law on the Public Prosecutor’s Office, received applications are forwarded to the government. After the applications are submitted, the government requests an opinion from the Council of Public Prosecutors on all candidates. The Council is obliged to provide reasoned opinions within 15 days. If the Council does not give a positive opinion on any of the candidates, the government cannot submit a proposal and recommends that Parliament announce a new call. A new state public prosecutor must be elected with 61 votes from the MPs.

Photo: MIA archive