Anticorruption

The Commission for selection of the future anti-corruption members continues today with interviews of 17 more possible candidates for president and members of the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption.

The interviews of 57 candidates are expected to end on Wednesday, after which the Committee on Elections and Appointment Issues will need to submit a list of 7 candidates to the Parliament. A two-thirds majority is necessary for the election of the SCPC.

So far, 11 interviewed candidates have answered questions asked by the MPs, but also by representatives of the NGO sector and journalists as well.

Pre-election quarrels

VMRO-DPMNE accuse that SDSM and Zoran Zaev are preparing electoral fraud of the presidential elections and that is why they are running away from a technical government and early parliamentary elections.

SDSM stress that the anti-people leadership of VMRO-DPMNE is in panic because of Macedonia’s success and NATO membership.

Electoral media monitoring

At today’s parliamentary session, the agenda also included the draft law from the MPs of the majority and the opposition, for the obligation of the State Election Commission for performing monitoring of the electronic media during the election processes to be transferred under the competence of the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services.

This is one of the anticipated changes of the Electoral Code, the amendments of which are on the agenda of the Parliament today.

The Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services is obliged, within 30 days from the day of adopting this code, to adopt a Methodology for monitoring media election coverage by radio and television program services, during the election processes, and publishes the same on its website.

With the latest amendments of the Law, the payment has been regulated of funds from the Budget for paid political advertising based on evidence by the requestor, but without the possibility for that evidence to be checked. For the need of further specification of these legal provisions, the draft law also determines the manner of checking the enclosed requests for compensation of funds from the Budget of the Republic of Macedonia, is said in the explanation.

Ministry of Labor and Social Policy

Minister Mila Carovska today signed the agreements with the mayors of the municipalities that will participate in partnership in the construction of the facilities of the new kindergartens. On the list of construction of new kindergartens are the municipalities of Gjorce Petrov, Kumanovo, Kavadarci, Brvenica, Bosilovo, Vrapciste, Suto Orizari, Demir Kapija, Stip and Gazi Baba.

With the construction of the kindergartens, the capacity is expanded to a total of 860 children, with opening of at least 100 new jobs. For this purpose, 85.2 million denars without VAT have been provided from the budget of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy has so far participated in the construction of a total of 24 kindergartens, most of which have already been put into operation. At the same time, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy has provided over 1.000 approvals for employment of staff in the kindergartens, most of which are for indefinite employment.

Environment

In the past several weeks, Macedonia climbed to the first place of most polluted countries in the world. The Joint Report on Air Quality of the EUROSAI – European Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions, indicates that the industry is the biggest polluter in Macedonia, followed by pollution caused by households and smaller companies, while automobiles are assessed as medium polluters, and waste, agriculture and remaining factors as smaller polluters.

In the report it is pointed out that in Macedonia sanctions need to be imposed at the central and local level for not respecting the objectives of air quality, and that the very system for air quality management in Macedonia is not properly organized and coordinated, that is, that the environmental inspections are also carried out without any coordination at the central and local level.

#Perspectives2019

CIVIL – Center for Freedom is organizing a big national conference #Perspectives2019 on February 13, starting at 1.00 am. The conference will be opened by German Ambassador to Macedonia Thomas Gerberich, and eminent intellectuals and experts, leaders in civil society and senior politicians will take part as speakers.

The series of interviews and texts through which CIVIL MEDIA is recapitulating the political and social reality of the year that has passed and is trying, through conversations with selected experts and public figures to reveal the perspectives for 2019 continues.

Before the public is the new series “Perspectives 2019”, in which for now you can look at the views of Rozeta Trajan, Мirjana Maleska, Меrsiha Smailovik, Мirjana Najcevska, Husein Ademi, Маrta Gusar, Faton Aliti, Sashko Poposki, Saso Ordanoski, Аrianit Xhaferi, Аkif Kariman, Оgnen Janeski, Koco Andonovski, Mladen Cadikovski, Marjan Risteski, Branko Geroski, Uranija Pirovska and Еmina Nuredinoska.

D. Tahiri