The new leader of the Socialist Party in North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovachevsky, said on Tuesday that after Zoran Zayev formally resigned as prime minister last week, his party has confirmed that he is the country’s candidate. Served as prime minister.
Kovachevski said on his Facebook page that the Central Committee of his ruling SDSM Party approved him as prime minister-designate late on Monday. On Tuesday, he met with the American ambassador in North Macedonia in this capacity.
“As the chairman of SDSM and the new prime minister, I will fully follow the principles of unity, responsibility, dedication and efficiency,” Kovachevsky said after the meeting.
The country’s future government faces challenges ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to the energy crisis caused by insufficient domestic electricity production and rising prices across Europe.
Local media quoted Kovachevsky’s office as saying that he will formally support Kovachevsky as prime minister-designate on Wednesday.
Last week, after his party lost in the mayoral election in October, Prime Minister Zayev officially resigned to Parliament after resigning as the leader of SDSM.
According to the constitution, Kovachevsky should form a new cabinet within 20 days to support 64 representatives in the 120-seat parliament. According to local media reports, Talat Xhaferi, Speaker of the Parliament, said that the vote for the new government may be scheduled for January 15 or 16.
North Macedonia, which joined NATO last year, is striving to become part of the European Union. Its access path is currently related to Albania’s access path. Although there seems to be a consensus among EU member states, for North Macedonia, Bulgaria’s veto power hinders their progress.
Sofia refused to give the green light to Skopje’s seat at the first intergovernmental meeting, officially launching the joining process. The language, culture and human rights violations against the Bulgarian minority in Macedonia have proven to be the crux.
Although Bulgaria’s recent government change may make the road to joining more obvious, there are still some obstacles. Taking an overly moderate approach to Skopje will lose new party political power, while an overly strict approach may endanger the support of European and American allies.
Another potentially challenging issue facing the new prime minister is the results of the 2021 census, which will be announced in the new year. Bulgaria has made it clear that their ethnic minorities living in North Macedonia must enjoy equal rights and recognition in accordance with the law. The results are also crucial for the Albanian community in the country, who have long claimed that they are underserved and underrepresented.
After the terrible defeat in local elections, he still needs to regain the support of voters.
