The Prime Minister Zoran Zaev yesterday to the president of The Assembly, Talat Xhaferi submitted the announced resignation of Prime Minister, which the parliamentary speaker should state, which according to parliamentary sources, he will do before today’s session on parliamentary issues, which begins to run the constitutional deadlines for the election of a new government.
In the submitted resignation Zaev stated that he took this decision as a logical step which derives from the outcome of local elections and as an expression of the responsibility taken for the election results.
– The results of the last elections, although local, for the political moment in which the country is, had a national political weight. In such conditions, for me personally and for me as Prime Minister, because of the policies I believe in, because of the democratic and European values I believe in, politically irresponsible and unjustified before my people and my country, I would personally continue to lead the Government of the Euro-Atlantic way. I believe that another prime minister from the ranks of SDSM will be able to achieve that in a better way, with success for both the citizens and the state. The results of the last elections, although local, for the political moment in which the country is, had national and political weight, said Zaev in his resignation.
He emphasizes that with the resignation and the responsibility taken, he wants to set an example to recognize the virtuous decisions when it is necessary and thus give another contribution in strengthening the democratic capacity of the people, but also of the future leaders to be aware of their civic duty when they take care of their country.
– Because democracy also means responsibility. I did this so that our Western European idea could continue to develop and the progressive concept in the country could create the conditions for its own refreshment and strengthening, and thus not allow itself to be defeated at the national level – so that these modern “Democratic forces should survive and continue to fight for the progress of Northern Macedonia – in the name of freedom, democracy, diversity, good neighborliness, NATO and for easier and faster start of negotiations with the EU,” said Zaev.
He emphasizes that he was honored to be able to serve and to have the trust of the majority of the people for the past four years.
– I am especially proud that the support came from all ethnic communities, from all our multiethnic people and that the great idea of our “One Society for All”, today, slowly but surely begin to be accepted by its opponents. In all challenges there are periods of peace between two battles, days when enthusiasm weakens, when we face failure to meet what is expected and what has been agreed. But one thing is for sure that there will never be days or situations when those moments were a reason to give up achieving our great goal that we set with all our citizens only four years ago, the resigned Prime Minister added.
Zaev reminds that during his tenure as Prime Minister, “historic decisions were made due to which Northern Macedonia, instead of being a” former republic “, without its permanent and sovereign place in the society of nations, got what belongs to it according to its dignity and historical merits ”.
– Those decisions enabled the Macedonians and the Macedonian language to be confirmed by the whole world, and this time by our neighbor and friend, the Republic of Greece. “I believe that with that we have provided lasting peace, security, safety and a paved path for the economic well-being of the people,” said Zaev.
He thanks the members of the Assembly, from this and the previous composition, the members of both compositions of the Government during his mandates and the citizens of our country for the expressed confidence in the parliamentary elections, and then for the support for his election for Prime Minister, who “accepted that there are no such questions for which there is no answer as long as there is a will to resolve them and as long as there are mutual relations of sincere trust and friendship.”
– Time will show that this decision of mine is in line with my commitment to be a politician who takes responsibility to make difficult but historically important decisions for the good and secure future of our people and state, without worrying about personal political rating to I put it before the state interests. I wish well-being and prosperity to all our citizens, to all communities, to all our people, Zaev concludes.
In the submitted resignation, which he submits on the basis of Article 219 paragraph two of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly, he states that he will not orally explain it.
Zaev’s resignation today in his annual address to the Parliament was also commented by President Stevo Pendarovski, who assessed that it is an indisputable act that should be welcomed because it does not happen often in new democracies.
– The fact is that he is stepping down when his party is in power, and that is a diametrically opposite situation from 2017, when we could not carry out a peaceful transition of power with a formed parliamentary majority, which directly provoked the events of April 27, the biggest shame for Macedonian democracy in history, said Pendarovski.
Like it or not, as the President pointed out, politics is part of our lives, but it must never become our whole life.
– When a person finds the meaning of his existence only in political power and rule with others, when coming and staying in power is the only cause in someone’s life, it opens the door wide for conflicts and divisions between people, said Pendarovski.
Following the resignation of the Prime Minister, the head of state should be given the mandate to form a new government. According to the Constitution, the president is obliged to entrust the mandate to the party, ie the parties that have the majority in the Assembly, within ten days. The Prime Minister-designate within 20 days, from the day of entrusting the mandate, submits a program to the Assembly and proposes the composition of the Government, according to the Constitution.
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.
Source: Sloboden Pecat
