Skopje, 8 January 2026 (MIA) – A meeting to discuss caretaker government will not be held, there has to be a caretaker government because the current government has demonstrated that it hasn’t been making democratic moves, SDSM leader Venko Filipche said Thursday accusing the government of “preparing a scenario for early elections.”

“Caretaker government was introduced to prevent the then VMRO-DPMNE government from misusing the institution. We have seen in the past year and a half that nothing has changed. They’ve taken over all the institutions,” Filipche told a news conference noting the government has been also increased its grip on judicial and law enforcement institutions. 

According to him, what has been happening looks like a scenario for early elections. “SDSM will not be used as alibi,” Filipche stressed. 

Caretaker government shouldn’t be scrapped, said Filipche adding that the government has been preparing changes to the criminal law against the EU’s recommendations.

“If it weren’t for these moves, we could have met to discuss, but this is classic mafia. There is no sitting down to talk with criminals over caretaker government,” the opposition leader said. 

Asked whether SDSM would participate if elections were to be scheduled, Filipche said his party is ready for election “whenever it takes place.”

In Wednesday’s TV interview, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said he will send invitations to all party leaders to a meeting in which reform laws and the scrapping of the caretaker government will be discussed. 

“I plan on handing out invitations to all parliamentary party leaders to a leaders’ meeting. I think there is enough time in the next ten days, before I depart for Davos, to meet and discuss the reform laws, reform of the political system and also the law on government in order to talk about the caretaker government,” Mickoski told Alfa TV in an interview. He said he expects all parliamentary party leaders to accept the invitation. 

Photo: SDSM