Skopje, 5 June 2024 (MIA) - The new parliamentary majority is planning to submit several legislative proposals, including the laws regulating the Judicial Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors and the new method of election, announced VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski during Wednesday’s press briefing in the Parliament.

He highlighted that this is part of the 'Platform 1198' program, which garnered more than half a million votes in the elections, and that the electoral legitimacy 'entitles us to act strictly according to what is laid out in that program.'

Mickoski stressed that only by doing this can we develop Macedonia, otherwise, we will be mired in political stagnation and make no progress.

“We are referring to the caretaker government. Before the elections, we had a clear and definite stance that a caretaker government was unnecessary. Unfortunately, we did not get support from the then-government majority. One of the proposed laws will address this issue. Additionally, there are laws intended to combat corruption, including those regulating the Judicial Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors, along with a new election method, allowing judges and prosecutors to be elected by their peers. This is to prevent political interference, as has been the practice thus far,” Mickoski stated.

Regarding the outgoing Minister of Justice Krenar Lloga's reaction that the proposed legal changes would result in an 'intrusion,' Mickoski responded that the intrusion will target 'a few partisan judges and prosecutors who, unfortunately, negatively influence those judges and prosecutors who are fulfilling their duties according to the law and constitution.'

“Mr. Lloga, along with the rest of the former government, had nearly seven years to reform both the prosecutorial and judicial systems. Instead of the current catastrophic trust level of two to three percent, they could have raised it to at least double digits. Unfortunately, they failed,” stated Mickoski.

Mickoski pointed out that the 'Platform 1198' program, which encompasses this reform, garnered over half a million votes, and together with the coalition, more than 600,000 votes. "We consider that this electoral legitimacy," Mickoski added, "entitles us to act only in accordance with what is outlined in that program."

Photo: MIA