New Year, New Government in Macedonia: Kosavevski Takes Zaev's chair

Dimitar Kovachevski, on Wednesday, 29 December, is also officially expected to be mandated as prime minister of Northern Macedonia by Republika President Stevo Pendarovski.

Kovachevski, who heads the Social Democratic League (LSDM), under the Constitution, will have 20 days to hand over the new composition of the government cabinet for approval. The new government is expected to be voted in late by January 15th, 2022, with 61 MPs counting from the Parliament.

The parliamentary majority numbers 64 deputies; 44 of the LSDM, 15 are of the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI), four of the Alternatives and a deputy of the Albanian Democratic Party (PDSH).

The prime ministerial candidate, Dimitar Kocavevski, has said his work priority will be facing the challenges facing Northern Macedonia, while in terms of the makeup of the government, he said among government partners the ministerial posts have already been defined, but has not provided details concerning the quotas that will be part of the executive.

Darko Kovachevski, in the post of prime minister and LSDM chairman, replaces Zoran Zaev, who resigned due to the defeat in local elections held on October 31st.

Our “priorities have to do with accelerating and strengthening the country's European integration course, facing the most serious challenges, such as the energy crisis, facing pandemic, strengthening the education system, and so on”, Kovacevski has declared.

As for the leadership of ministries, major changes are expected to take place in the LSDM ranks. Oliver Spasovski will no longer be minister of Internal Affairs.

The new chairman must be given the opportunity, given full authority in selecting his team. Maybe he has to make new choices, new people, and for that I think I shouldn't be part of the new team, not to charge either the chairman or his team”, has told the media Spasovski, one of the former prime minister's close associates, Zoran Zaev.

Even Radmila Sugarinska, the defence minister so far will not be part of the government, as will Education Minister Milla Carovska.

I decided not to be part of the new government with the new mandate. During my term we did a lot of work in the interest of citizens. This course will also follow in the future”, Carovska has declared.

Part of the cabinet, unofficially reportedly will not be Lupco Nikolovski, who so far was deputy prime minister for fighting corruption, as if he would not be the until now Health Minister Venko Filipce.

In the new government, the Alternative Party, which replaces Besa Movement after it leaves the executive, will have three ministerial posts; Health, the Ministry of Public Administration and Informatics, as well as a minister without respect, responsible for the diaspora. The party will also have three deputy ministers.

Taking in key posts from the Alternative has caused disappointment among some Macedonian political parties that are in coalition with the LSDM. To silence their discontent and not endanger the majority, the LSDM has decided that with the Ministry of Defence to lead a framework of the Liberal Democratic Party.

DUI in the new government will also have strong positions. In addition to the first deputy prime minister, who will be Artan Grubi, the party led by Ali Ahmeti will also lead the Ministry of Education, based on its officials' statements, will lead Jeton Shaqiri, currently acting minister of Public Administration and Informatics.

Ahmeti's party in the new government will also continue to hold the Ministry of Finance, Economy and Ecology. The party will have five deputy ministers' posts and as many state secretaries in some other ministries.

Albanian parties in the new government will lead half or eight of the 16 ministries making up the new government, which will be the second since parliamentary elections, which were held on 15 July 2020.