The Prime Minister Zoran Zaev yesterday to the President of the Assembly Talat Xhaferi submitted the announced resignation of the Prime Minister, which should be stated before today’s session on parliamentary issues, which begins to run the constitutional deadlines for the election of a new government.
The Constitution of the Republic of Northern Macedonia and the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament regulate the procedure in case of resignation of the Prime Minister.
Article 93 of the Constitution states that “The resignation of the Prime Minister, his death or his permanent inability to perform his duties shall entail the resignation of the Government. “The government that has resigned or whose mandate has ended, remains in office until the election of a new government.”
Article 219 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly, on the other hand, states that “The Government, the Prime Minister or a member of the Government may resign. The resignation of the Government or the Prime Minister is submitted to the President of the Assembly in writing and can be explained “The resignation of the Government or the Prime Minister, the President of the Assembly immediately submits to the MPs and the President of the Republic.”
Article 220 further states that “The Assembly at the first next session, without debate, concludes that the mandate of the Prime Minister, the Government or a member of the Government, ends on the day of the session.”
Then, according to Article 90 of the Constitution, the President of the state is obliged within ten days to entrust the mandate for the composition of the Government to a candidate of the party, ie the parties that have a majority in the Assembly. The prime minister-designate submits a program to the Assembly and proposes the composition of the Government within 20 days from the day of entrusting the mandate.
The Government, on the proposal of the Prime Minister and on the basis of the program, elects the Assembly by a majority vote of the total number of Representatives.
In his written resignation to Xhaferi, Zoran Zaev stated that he took this decision as a logical step that arises from the outcome of the local elections and as an expression of the responsibility taken for the election results. He also says that he will not orally explain his resignation to the MPs.
Following the resignation, the parliamentary majority is expected to nominate the new leader of SDSM and current Deputy Minister of Finance Dimitar Kovacevski.
After receiving the mandate, Kovacevski in the first half of next month should submit to the Parliament the program and the proposal for the composition of the new government cabinet, which would be followed by the election of his government at a parliamentary session.