Skopje, 25 February 2024 (MIA) - DUI's proposal for holding presidential elections in Parliament so lawmakers would elect the country's President with a two-thirds majority, which was also put forward by Arben Taravari of the Alliance for Albanians (AA), is unacceptable to some of the political parties. 

SDSM, a coalition partner of DUI, said in a press release on Friday that the idea was not a new one, but a reaffirmation of DUI's request in 2019. The Social Democrats point out that SDSM did not accept this at the time, and the party maintains the position that the model for electing the country's President should not be changed.

"There should be no backsliding in democratic processes. SDSM maintains the position that the country's President should be elected by the citizens in direct, general elections as the supreme democratic right of the citizens. The country's President should be a representative not only of the majority will of the citizens but also of all citizens, regardless of their political, ethnic or other affiliation. Only a President elected directly by the citizens has such a wide potential, to be able to act in the unification of the society, the citizens, the parties and contribute to achieving the top strategic and national goals," SDSM said. 

VMRO-DPMNE believes that DUI, in the absence of actual arguments and projects, comes up with romantic nationalism demands, such as election of the country's President in the Parliament.

"Our position is that VMRO-DPMNE neither holds talks nor negotiates under blackmail, and it never accepts blackmail. We will only call on the citizens to keep in mind this behaviour of DUI and let it be an additional motive for all citizens to prove in the upcoming elections that this country is not a hostage of a political party and that DUI will obviously continue to behave as it has been behaving for the past 20 years," MP Brane Petrushevski told a press conference on Saturday. 

Asked whether such conditions bring into question the presidential turnout, Petrushevski said that such behaviour of DUI will further motivate citizens to say "enough is enough".

Leader of ZNAM Movement, Maksim Dimitrievski, who has announced his presidential bid, told Sitel TV that his party will not support election of the country's President in the Parliament, because it would complicate the state and reduce the power of the institution of the President.

"Such demands always come in the pre-election period, and are allegedly political propaganda in the function of the elections. But there is always a large dose of truthfulness and a sincere approach in the commitments by that ethnic bloc. Macedonia cannot be anyone's hostage...What worries me primarily as a citizen, but also as a person who holds a responsible position and bids for a responsible position in society, is Ahmeti's pledge. I pledge here and now, that ZNAM will never allow such a solution to pass in the Parliament, because it complicates the state, further reduces the power of the institution of the President, who should actually be the protector of the ordinary citizen. The President draws his strength from the citizens themselves and in fact, he represents the state and all the powers entrusted to him according to the Constitution and the law, and the citizens and cares for the citizens," said Dimitrievski. 

DUI Vice-President and Spokesperson, Arbr Ademi, told a press conference on Saturday that he expects all political parties to respond positively to their idea that the country's President be elected in the Parliament.

"If we approach this issue rationally, taking into account all the risks and difficulties of rounding out a successful presidential election cycle, reasonably all political parties should agree to this – having the President elected in the Parliament, and this would not be any blackmail and obstacle in implementing what follows as an obligation in our European integration path. We believe that all political parties will approach this sensibly and rationally. When the Constitution is opened, we should also address the method of electing the President in the Parliament, and this is best to be done because of Ali Ahmeti's vision," Ademi said. 

Photo: MIA archive