Talat Xhaferi heads interim government of North Macedonia

(Patria) - Talat Xhaferi has been elected Prime Minister of the technical government of North Macedonia, becoming the first Albanian to hold this position. Xhaferi will lead the technical government for 100 days until the elections scheduled for May 8.

Addressing the Assembly, he stated that regardless of how long he leads the government, he will do everything to fulfill his obligations in accordance with the Constitution and citizens' expectations.

- The first priority will be the orderly and democratic organization of parliamentary and presidential elections. Regardless of whether I lead this government for one day or 100 days, I will fulfill this duty, responsibility, and trust given to me, just as I have done with other challenges I have faced - said Xhaferi.

The Speaker of the Assembly, Jovan Mitreski, scheduled the session after Xhaferi, who is from the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), submitted the work program and composition of the interim government, in which the largest opposition party VMRO-DPMNE will have two ministers and three deputy ministers.

The mandate for the interim government was proposed by the largest party of the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), whose current Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski, according to the Law on Government, is entitled to this position.

In the government's program, Xhaferi states that the top priority will be the successful organization of free, fair, and democratic elections, with the first round of presidential elections on April 24 and the second round of presidential and parliamentary elections on May 8, followed by the continuation of all processes stemming from the initiated accession negotiations with the EU and accelerated European integration.

All ministers from the coalition government of SDSM and DUI led by Dimitar Kovačevski will remain in their positions in Talat Xhaferi's government, except for the Minister of Interior and the Minister of Labor and Social Policy, which will be taken by the opposition VMRO-DPMNE, as well as three deputy ministers - for Finance, Agriculture, and Information Society and Administration.

The first Deputy Prime Minister will reportedly be the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, Bojan Maričić (SDSM), instead of Artan Grubi (DUI), who remains Minister of Political System and Inter-Community Relations.

The leader of the opposition VMRO-DPMNE, Hristijan Mickoski, reiterated that the MPs of his party will not vote for Talat Xhaferi's technical government, despite submitting proposals for technical ministers.

In North Macedonia, a technical government is being formed 100 days before the parliamentary elections, in which the largest opposition party receives two ministers - for Interior Affairs and for Labor and Social Policy, and three deputy ministers - for Finance, Agriculture, and Information Society and Administration.

Parliamentary elections will be held on May 8, along with the second round of presidential elections. The first round for the election of the President of North Macedonia will be held on April 24.