Xhaferi: Parliament Not Constituted until PS Notifies President of Macedonia

Outgoing Parliament Speaker (PS) Talat Xhaferi, citing the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Macedonia, claims that the Parliament is not constituted until a new PS is appointed. “Presentation of a mandate for formation of new government without a new PS being appointed in the Parliament would be a violation of the Constitution of North Macedonia. Deadlines for handover of the mandate start running once the new PS notifies the President of North Macedonia that the Parliament is constituted. If this rule is violated, it may jeopardise the credibility of the entire electoral process,” Xhaferi said in an interview for TV21. Xhaferi’s statement follows the press release of the Office of the President of Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski on Monday which citing the Constitution of Macedonia, stated that the Parliament is considered as constituted once all mandates of the 120 MPs are verified, and that appointment of new PS is not necessary for that.