NEWS OF THE DAY: 62 signatures provided for Xhaferi to be President of Parliament again

The Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia continued its constitutive session with a debate on the proposal for Talat Xhaferi to be re-elected President of Parliament. With 62 signatures of MPs from SDSM and the “We Can” Coalition, DUI and DPA, Xhaferi has been proposed for another four-year term as President of Parliament. VMRO-DPMNE MPs and Levica in the debate said they would vote against the proposal, while the MPs from the Alliance of Albanians and Alternativa announced that they would not attend the voting.

The MPs are currently on a two-hour break, and the session will continue at 4.00 pm.

The number of signatures collected for the proposal of Xhaferi indicates that there is a majority in Parliament on the agreement of the leaders of SDSM and DUI for forming a government coalition. The President of Parliament is elected with 61 votes “for”.

The proposal for President of Parliament was elaborated by MP Izet Medziti from DUI, who said that in the past period Xhaferi efficiently and successfully managed the Parliament, in accordance to the laws and the Constitution. He, according to Medziti, successfully managed all processes in the competence of the Parliament.

CIVIL NEWS

Within the framework of the Citizens forum for participation in government policy making, CIVIL Media spoke with activist Mersiha Smailovic on the topic nationalism. Smailovic reflected on several aspects of experiencing nationalism, and pointed to several harmful practices in politics, but also in society in terms of inciting nationalism. CIVIL Media spoke with Deputy Director of the Public Transportation Enterprise, Blerim Ismaili, about the role of public transportation in preserving the environment, and this public enterprise’s representation of green values. Ismaili reflected on the new 33 eco-busses that meet the highest technological standards, which were put into use last month. Obstructions in the work of CIVIL’s observers: How much money do you get, what is Deralla, a Torbesh or a Shqiptar, don’t ever return, party orientation…

During election day on July 15, 2020 for the early parliamentary elections, CIVIL’s observers were present in all six constituencies in North Macedonia.

The data from CIVIL’s monitoring is worrying, in which many obstructions directed at the observers of this civic organization while performing their duties were noted.

The attacks, repressions and threats usually come from observers of political parties, most often from VMRO-DPMNE, less often from SDSM, from the election administration, from voters, but also from the police.

Expelling from polling station, insults directed at the President of CIVIL, qualifications as to whether the organization is politicized or not, comments on the amount of compensation, rudeness and reluctance are the most often types of pressures and obstructions noted in CIVIL’s monitoring on the course of the election day.

FLASH NEWS

The trial for the organizers of the events that took place on April 27 in the Parliament, will continue on August 26, after at today’s hearing the Defence started to present the material evidence.

The government and representatives of high school students will cooperate for the best possible implementation of the model for organizing and implementing the curricula in primary and secondary schools in conditions of Covid-19.

The initiative for changes in VMRO-DPMNE today held a press conference in front of the party, from which they demand resignation of Hristijan Mickoski and convening of an extraordinary congress for election of a new president.

For the first time in the history of this country, North Macedonia should receive an Albanian Prime Minister. That is the most impressive outcome of the coalition negotiations in the Balkan country, which is member of NATO and candidate for joining the EU, and is overcoming the internal daily political developments, writes the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in today’s analysis on the post-election turmoil in North Macedonia in a text beneath the title “Multi-ethnic pilfering”

D. Muratov

Translation: N. Cvetkovska