Skopje, 29 April 2026 (MIA) - The Parliament is set to discuss the amendments on termination of the caretaker government at a plenary session on Wednesday.

Last week, Deputy Minister of Public Administration Laze Jakjimoski elaborated the motion before lawmakers, saying the interim or caretaker government for administering parliamentary elections, set up as a temporary model in a time of severe political and institutional crisis, focused on ensuring consensus for implementation of elections, following the political agreements reached in 2015, and applied for the first time prior to the 2016 elections and all parliamentary elections since.

"Although the caretaker government had a certain stabilizing role in a certain historic context, its continued use has proven to be dysfunctional and financially unjustified over the course of time. The formation of such government requires enlargement of the executive through additional ministers and deputy ministers, overlapping jurisdictions and complex decision-making procedures, which directly impacts the efficiency, accountability and continuity in governance. In addition, due to the consistent application of the provisions regulating this field, significant budget funds are allocated for salaries, fees, administrative and logistical support without a proper public effect that would justify this financial burden. In circumstances when political parties focus on advancing the electoral legal framework by strengthening the oversight of the electoral process, independent institutions and setting up clear and efficient mechanisms for control and sanctioning of possible abuse, conditions have matured to eliminate the objective reasons because of which the caretaker government model was introduced," said Jakjimoski.

The Deputy-Minister said the draft-law would have a delayed effect and aim to ensure stability, legal certainty and protection of the citizens' public interest through complete and consistent completion of the initiated reforms.

"The law sets up a stable and predictable legal framework that regulates the formation of a caretaker government until the day of publication of the final results by the State Election Commission for the first parliamentary elections administered upon the law's entry into force, after which the model will be terminated," said Jakjimoski.

The country had three caretaker governments since 2016, the first led by Emil Dimitriev of VMRO-DPMNE, the second in 2020 by SDSM's Oliver Spasovski, and the third in 2024 by DUI's Talat Xhaferi.

According to the caretaker government provisions, the incumbent prime minister resigns 100 days prior to the parliamentary elections, followed by the election of a caretaker government headed by another PM nominated by the ruling authorities. This government also includes five officials from the opposition - ministers of interior and social policy, and additional deputy ministers for finance, agriculture, and public administration. The ruling authorities have two additional deputy ministers for interior and social policy.

MIA file photo