Ahmeti: It is time for an Albanian to lead Northern Macedonia Government

Radio Free Europe: Mr Ahmeti, you have come up with the idea that the future government of North Macedonia will be led by an Albanian prime minister. How do you think you can achieve this idea, while the numbers to get the mandate to form the government, your party is very difficult and almost impossible to secure?

Ali Ahmeti: Governments are built on the basis of agreements, election programmes. We as political parties go out and race, and on 15 July we will expect results. And if we are winners in the Albanian political bloc, the whole issue will depend on how we will negotiate on 16 July.

Governments in northern Macedonia are political governments where they sit and discuss the formation of the same. We have many cases, not only here in the region, the Balkans, but also in Europe that the country's prime minister is elected by a party that has fewer mandates. We do not pretend to have more mandates than the Social Democratic League of Macedonia nor the VMRO- The DPMNE, but we claim we will be winners at the Albanian political camp and the government to be built will be built on the basis of negotiations.

Radio Free Europe: Your motto in these elections is “Now the time for Albanian prime minister”. Your political officers, both in the Albanian and Macedonian camps, say you do so for political purposes. And you insist that right now is the time for realising this idea. Why?

Ali Ahmeti: Why don't we insist? I expect an answer from those who say why we as the Democratic Union for Integration ask Albanian prime minister and I am curious to hear the reasons of others who have come against this idea. And I look forward to the reasons they can give.

The legitimate right yes, citizen of this country is, all issues dealing with state integrity, state sovereignty, the future of the state, all of these are (Naser Ziber) as a candidate for Albanian prime minister, and where is the reason, what is the obstacle of this country not being run by an Albanian.

What happened to Macedonia being led by the Ministry of Defence by an Albanian? Rather, even more trust from the Macedonian community grew in the Albanian community. What happened to Macedonia, which headed nearly a year and a half of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from an Albanian at a time when it had to manage with very critical situations in this country, without taking sides, led a very delicate process.

What happened to Macedonia with the election of an Albanian speaker? He has steered the works perfectly and I have heard very big estimates from both positions, but also from the opposition for the work parliament speaker has done. Why not now be an Albanian prime minister? For him as prime minister to take responsibility. We're the ones who own this country and we are citizens of this state, this is our country, and we want to demonstrate our ability to run this country.

Radio Free Europe: Mr. Ahmeti, what is most essential that you offer the electorate on Mr. Naser Ziber's candidacy for state prime minister so that citizens can trust their vote?

Ali Ahmeti: First, I must stress that the candidate for Albanian prime minister is not of the Democratic Union for Integration. We've done enough consultations with civil society, with the academic part, with experts from different fields. I personally have had over ten meetings with intellectuals in certain areas and finally managed to have a conversation with the prime minister's candidate, who became convinced that the reason is sustainable, that it is strong enough and then agreed to be in this race.

But at the same time he (Naser Ziber) also has the support of the nine candidates with whom I have talked to enter the race (for Albanian prime minister), but for various reasons they each had a reason why they cannot enter this race, for which I showed understanding and no sorrow, persons who are strong personalities of Albanians who have contributed to the field of education, health, etc. But everyone has backed the idea and said they will support the candidate for Albanian prime minister.

Of course, it will publicise the programme as a candidate for prime minister in the field of economy, education, health and all other areas that will be our priority. Yes, of course, special emphasis will have the differences we've had for the past 18 years in some areas with LSDM and VMRO- DPMNE.

Of course, the priority will be the issues set at the table, in this case I would stress decentralisation. For decentralisation now and 18 years there are differences between the Democratic Union for Integration on the one hand, and the LSDM and VMRO- The DPMNE on the other side.

We are for literal decentralisation, we are for the power to descend from the top down. Let high state competencies, such as defence policy, foreign security policy, be high, but economy with local government should be given to municipalities. I stressed that (the issue of decentralisation) is one of the points of this programme.

Also big differences we have, and in the field of jurisdiction, it means in matters of justice, we insist on vetoing in all segments, from politicians, mayors, ministers of office, etc.

We have asked the Special Prosecutor at the time, the Attorney General, to open an investigation into the Democratic Union of Integration from 2002 until the moment the law is voted, with the best intention of helping society, not to be trusted with false news, slander, so we can have a healthy society. All of this will be included in the country's future governance.

Radio Free Europe: Mr. Ahmeti will stop here a little bit longer. The idea of the future government being led by an Albanian prime minister has been described as a major idea that paves the way for the future, but the candidate for prime minister after which you stand in these elections, just days before making public his candidacy for prime minister, for Radio Free Europe, Mr. Naser Ziber, has named the idea of Albanian prime minister as intacts.

Ali Ahmeti: Of course, in the absence of more detailed information, he said that. I've been talking to him almost two days and explaining the whole idea, and after that Mr. Naser Ziber has embraced this idea, which is not impossible to become reality, this very good idea. And I have to say, he's taken full responsibility for this idea.

Every person who hears an idea that doesn't work well has no explanation, certainly has reservations and those reserves already do not exist to Mr. Ziber, nor to the people I have spoken to about potential candidates for prime minister. I'm idealistic and I believe that every good thing is achieved, but you have to trust yourself, in the community and in the collaborators. I believe in myself, believe in my associates and believe in community.

Everything we've said, we may have been late for realism, but we've done it in the end. It could be done more, but we've always been honest and we've explained why we could have put off the process before.

Radio Free Europe: It remains in the position that the Democratic Union as a party -- if it wins in the election -- will make a coalition with that Macedonian party, which will also win in early parliamentary elections on July 15th:

Ali Ahmeti: Now I do not prejudge, we will wait July 15th and see how events will follow.

Radio Free Europe: Mr Ahmeti a little higher, you stressed that the priority for you remains the independence of the judicial system, though being more than a decade and a half in power, this dictatorship has sometimes been run by the framework of your party. Why didn't you do the reforms, why are Albanians still suspicious of assembled processes?

Ali Ahmeti: See, now it must be seen that the Judiciary and Justice Ministry are divided, meaning independent. The courts are independent and we've been the ones who have shown distrust of certain processes and we've demanded that these processes be monitored by internationals as well. It means the Kumanovo court, the Monstra court process, and another process accusing some Albanians of killing several service people.

We have requested official institutional ways from Brussels from Washington that they encourage, means through their lines, justice, prosecution, that means repeating these trials because we have not been convinced that a fair trial has been made. The official response has been that both Washington and Brussels believe in the authority and work the OSCE does. We insist that these processes be repeated and monitoring be conducted by the international community.

Radio Free Europe: In the last elections, your party marked a decline in the number of deputies, from 19 to ten MPs. If you mark a decline this time again, do you think to leave the party's direction?

Ali Ahmeti: I always, for every election cycle I've said responsibility falls on me. And I know how to answer and stick to the word given.

Radio Free Europe: Mr. Ahmeti, would you rather resign if you lost in the election?

Ali Ahmeti: My resignation is too small for her to lose the Democratic Union of Integration.