The political crisis in Macedonia continues. It will now be exactly two months since early parliamentary elections were held and yet the country still has no government. Following VMRO-DPMNE’s unsuccessful attempt, as a party having the largest number of seats (51), to form a government, President Gjorge Ivanov decided not to give the mandate to opposition leader Zoran Zaev, which Nikola Gruevski returned to Ivanov, even though SDSM (49 mandates), according to experts on Constitutional law, is a party that should receive the mandate.

VMRO-DPMNE is playing the new elections “card”, SDSM is making analyses, but is also negotiating with parties, signatories to the Platform for the Albanians: DUI (10 seats), Besa (5) and the Alliance for the Albanians (3). The international community, the EU and the US are sending clear messages, for support of the democratic processes, for the Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) and for a government that will carry out the reforms from Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic agenda.

The citizens in agony, polarized, manipulated, live in a country that is marking a decline in the economy and enormous air pollution. The competent institutions remain “immune” to reactions, whereas morbidity and mortality are rising as a result of the air pollution, especially among the youngest population.

Pressure on citizens who have not voted for VMRO-DPMNE

Post-election Macedonia cannot avoid pressures being made on the opposition’s electorate, or rather on citizens who did not cast their votes for VMRO-DPMNE at the last elections. While a boy from the Skopje village of Dolno Kolicani claimed that because of his support for SDSM he was dismissed from work from a Belgium firm that makes use of many benefits in Macedonia, a VMRO-DPMNE MP in the Strumica Municipal Council changed his party colors two times over night, and after political bargaining decided to remain independent with support for SDSM, instead of being in VMRO-DPMNE.

SDSM, on the other hand, announced that in these couple of days it would form a parliamentary majority. DUI leader Ali Ahmeti announced that the truth will come to light and that their negotiations with VMRO-DPMNE are stuck on the issue regarding the SPO, which overthrows comments that bilingualism is the red line for VMRO-DPMNE.

SDSM is continuing the democratic struggle throughout the institutions, they demand respect for the legal regulations. They have filed criminal charges against four members of VMRO-DPMNE with verified mandates, who are still in government positions: Prime Minister Emil Dimitriev, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikola Poposki, Minister of Health, Nikola Todorov and Minister of Culture, Elizabeta Kanceska Mileska.

SPO submits appeal for the case “Violence in front of the Municipality of Center”

The Special Prosecutor’s Office appealed before the Court of Appeal the court decision of Judge Tatjana Mihajlova, who is leading the case for violence in front of the Municipality of Center. At the first preparatory hearing she separated the wiretapped conversations as evidence, and for the SPO – with this decision serious violation has been made to the Code of Criminal Procedure. In this criminal case 11 people are accused including Nikola Gruevski, former Prime Minister and Mile Janakieski, former Minister of Transport and Communications.

Journalists are struggling for survival, social networks are “full” of vulgarity

Employees in the three daily newspapers: “Dnevnik”, “Utrinski Vesnik” and “Vest” have announced a strike as a final step in the attempt to receive their paychecks. Journalists and technical staff, who have been working for years on the preparation and editing of these relevant newspapers in creating the public opinion in the country, have not only not been given their salaries for two months in a row, but moreover, the union with the support of the Independent Union of Journalists of Macedonia (SSNM) have also not received any response from the publishing company Media Print Makedonija, which is their founder.

On the other hand, this past week a morbid obituary was published on the social media with Nikola Gruevski. VMRO-DPMNE reacted with fierce accusations. And many citizens not supporting this distasteful association of the “political death” of Gruevski, reminded of the inappropriate behavior of the teacher in Bitola, who at VMRO-DPMNE protest was carrying a funeral Cross for opposition leader Zoran Zaev, but reminded also on the many obituaries with the faces of foreign diplomats in Macedonia.

The international community with clear support for a reform government

Every step of the relevant political parties is closely followed by the international community. There are clear messages coming from European diplomats and from the US, for support of the democratic processes, for the SPO and for a government that will implement the reforms from Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic agenda.

Моnika Taleska