Skopje, 27 January 2024 (MIA) – Talat Xhaferi, who is set to lead the country as caretaker Prime Minister in the upcoming transitional government, is expected to deliver to Parliament on Saturday the composition and programme of the future government. A plenary session over the vote for the caretaker government is expected to be held on Sunday. Parliament’s press office said it would provide more information on Saturday afternoon.

After the vote in Parliament, the transitional government will lead the country for 100 days until the general elections scheduled for May 8.

On Friday, at its 139th session, the Parliament verified the resignations of Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski and Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi, and elected SDSM’s Jovan Mitreski as Xhaferi’s successor with 64 votes in favor and 40 against.

Later on Friday, the country’s President, Stevo Pendarovski, presented Talat Xhaferi with the mandate for the creation of the caretaker government. At the ceremony, Xhaferi pledged that in accordance with the laws and Constitution, he would lead the negotiations for the creation of the transitional government in line with the political needs and the situation in the country.

“With pleasure and full responsibility I accept the mandate presented by the President, and with a promise, that in accordance with the laws and Constitution, the composition of the government and the negotiations over the composition of the government will be led in line with the political needs and the situation in the country,” said Xhaferi.

In the caretaker government, opposition party VMRO-DPMNE holds the ministerial posts at the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy. They will also have deputy ministers in the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Information Society and Administration, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy.

The party put forward Panche Toshkovski as a candidate for caretaker Interior Minister, and Gjoko Velkovski as Minister of Labor and Social Policy. It also proposed Elena Petrova for the position of additional Deputy Minister of Finance, Stefan Andonovski as additional Deputy Minister of Information Society and Administration, and Cvetan Tripunovski as additional Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy.

Ruling party SDSM put forward Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski’s chief of staff, Mitko Bojmacliev, as its candidate for additional Deputy Minister of Interior, and Jovanka Trenchevska for additional Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy.

The party’s Central Board also proposed Viktorija Avramovska-Madikj for Deputy Minister of Justice; Maja Manoleva, Deputy Minister of Health; Aleksandar Bajdeski, Deputy Minister of Information Society and Administration; Filip Nikolovski, Deputy Minister of Finance; Miki Krstev, Deputy Minister of Local Self-Government.

The current ministers of culture; environment and physical planning; transport and communications; defense; agriculture, forestry and water economy, who come from SDSM’s ranks, will keep their posts.

DUI and the Alliance for Albanians told MIA that the ministers coming from their ranks would remain in their posts as well.

Photo: MIA