Zaev government to face no-confidence vote on Thursday

Talat Xhaferi, Speaker of the Sobranje (parliament), scheduled a vote of no-confidence of the government of former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev for 11 November at 11 am.

Aleksandar Nikoloski, the Vice President of VMRO-DPMNE, said that 61 out of 120 MPs signed the motion.

There is some uncertainty over whether all 61 opposition MPs will remain firm – after one member of the Alternative party announced his reservations to form a future coalition. Still, there is also the possibility of others defecting from Zaev’s broad coalition, Republika.mk, portal close to VMRO-DPMNE reported.

DUI, the biggest Albanian party in Zaev’s coalition, after the meeting of the General Council in Tetovo on Sunday, stated that party leader Ali Ahmeti had been authorised to have discussions with all political parties from the two blocs that support EU integration.

Zaev wrote on his Facebook profile that the opposition “is ready to lead the country downhill and make the people suffer because of the empty desire for power. These days, we are witnessing the threat to the Prespa Agreement, the Agreement on Good Neighborly Relations with Bulgaria, the Ohrid Agreement”.

Hristijan Mickovski, the leader of VMRO-DPMNE, said he would never use the country’s new name (North Macedonia), although he recognises the Prespa Agreement.

(Željko Trkanjec | EURACTIV.hr)