Monthly Archives: February 2020

Parliament Dissolves after Adoption of PPO Law and Several Other Texts

On Sunday, Parliament adopted the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) Law and the changes to the Defence and Public Prosecutors Council Laws. There was a tense atmosphere during the vote on the PPO document. At the start, 74 MPs voted in favour, whereas 32 were against. Speaker Talat Xhaferi annulled the vote because MP Liljana Popovska had previously requested to speak, ...

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Rashela Mizrahi Dismissed as Caretaker Labour and Social Policy Minister

In the wee hours of Saturday, after a several-hour-long discussion, Parliament dismissed Rashela Mizrahi as caretaker Labour and Social Policy Minister. According to VMRO-DPMNE, the dismissal is a result of SDSM leader and ex-PM Zoran Zaev’s “totalitarian regime”. The opposition party believes that the decision to dismiss her was made because there was great fear, not over a violation of ...

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Adoption of Changes to Electoral Code Preceded by Accusations over PPO Issue

In the wee hours of Saturday, Parliament adopted the changes to the Electoral Code. As a result, certain polling stations from the Municipalities of Debar, Krusevo, and Mavrovo i Rostuse will be removed from Electoral District 6 and transferred to Electoral District 5. DUI MP Artan Grubi voiced satisfaction, saying the transfer had been an OSCE/ODIHR recommendation since 2014. Previously, ...

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Zaev and Mickoski Present Different Stand on Adoption of PPO Law

On Sunday, SDSM leader and ex-PM Zoran Zaev welcomed the adoption of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) law. “Reforms in the judiciary must continue,” he said, adding that he was asking for a new mandate in order to remove dishonest judges and prosecutors from that sector. Zaev added that he guaranteed that all cases started by the former Special Prosecutor’s ...

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Road Conditions, 17.02.2020

Poor driving conditions are reported throughout the country on wet roads. Certain roadways passing through valleys and canyons can be susceptible to light rockslides, such as Kocani – Makedonska Kamenica – Delcevo, Vinica – Berovo, Gostivar – Straza, Mavrovo – Debar – Struga, Demir Kapija – Udovo, Katlanovo – Veles, Krusevo – Demir Hisar, and Resen – Bukovo. Motorists are ...

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VMRO-DPMNE not to Leave Parliament

VMRO-DPMNE will not leave Parliament. This is one of the decisions that the extended composition of the party’s Executive Committee made at Wednesday’s meeting. The party will monitor how the situation will develop and react “in defence of democracy, the interests of citizens, and the country.” The debate focused on the current political and societal level, as well as on ...

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PPO Draft Law Session Rescheduled for Friday

Parliament’s session about the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) Draft Law has been rescheduled for Friday. Though it started at 10 pm on Thursday, Speaker Talat Xhaferi decided to reschedule it for 11 am the following day. VMRO-DPMNE and SDSM coordinators Nikola Micevski and Jovan Mitreski, respectively, had remarks, with the former saying it was unprincipled for MPs to be waiting ...

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Varhelyi Calls for Integration of Western Balkan Countries

At a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi stated that in order to preserve its credibility, the EU had to accelerate integration of Western Balkan countries, adding that the process should be much more dynamic. He also stated that the EU had to start negotiations with Albania and Macedonia because the two countries had ...

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Dimitrov and Osmani Hold Meetings in Paris

In the frames of their visit to Paris, Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and Deputy PM for European Affairs Bujar Osmani held a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron’s Europe Adviser, Clement Beaune. They said that Macedonia expected consensus among EU Member States on a decision to start membership negotiations before the May Summit in Zagreb. Osmani voiced satisfaction with the ...

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Spasovski Comments on Mizrahi Case

Commenting on his proposal to Parliament for Rashela Mizrahi to be dismissed caretaker Labour and Social Policy Minister, caretaker PM Oliver Spasovski said on Thursday he would make no compromises when it came to respecting Macedonia’s Constitution and laws. Spasovski had been asked whether he thought about withdrawing it in order for a political crisis to be avoided. “I expect ...

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