Coalition parties reject Zaev's resignation

Government coalition parties in northern Macedonia do not accept the resignation of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who announced Sunday (October 31st) evening after his party's deep defeat in local elections.

The leaders of the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI), of the Besa Movement, of the DPA, and of other smaller Macedonian parties said after a meeting realised Monday afternoon that the government must continue working at all costs to move reforms forward, including the open conflict with Bulgaria and integrations into the European Union.

The majority is stable and there is no need to go to early parliamentary elections, they said.

The “jointly gave support to the parliamentary majority, to the Government's programme for the continuation of current policies in particular in terms of European integration, in terms of reforms, in terms of security, and we assured Prime Minister Zaev himself that we other partners are unanimously supporting government policies”, the deputy prime minister, Artan Grubi, organising secretary of DUI.

Move B too. ESA, who won the DUI in Tetovo, which is the largest residential municipality with Albanians, came against Zaev's resignation

“From the meeting we agreed that in this situation, in this political position in which the state early evental elections are located would have complicated even more the economic, social health and security aspect”, said Arjanit Hoxha from the EUSA Movement.

After the meeting, the prime minister's resignation, Zoran Zaev, has not been promoted to the media.

His Social Democratic League party suffered deep defeat by the opposition VMRO DPMNE in the two election rounds on 17 October and 31 October.

According to State Election Commission, V MRO DPMNE-aj has won 41 municipalities out of 80 the total of Northern Macedonia, and Skopje as a special unit of local government. The LSDM has won 16 municipalities, DUI has won ten municipalities, the EUSA Movement two municipalities -- the Alliance for Albanians as well as two municipalities -- while other parties from one municipality.

I take responsibility for the poor results and resign from the prime minister's post, as well as the post of party chairman. I don't think there should be early parliamentary elections. I will stay here during this period to organise a new Government with a progressive majority that could even expand”, Zaev has declared, acknowledging defeat in the election.

Opposition party leader V MRO- DPMNE, Hristian Mickovski, said earlier that “Zaev must accept reality, accept the people's message and leave”.

“We testified that even despite differences we can join the common goal, for a Macedonia without corruption and which will move forward, for an integrated Macedonia in the European Union. This could be done by a united opposition bloc that is already reality and will bring a convincing victory in early parliamentary elections”, Mickovski has declared. /rel