TIRANA – Leaders of the biggest ruling and opposition parties in North Macedonia failed to agree on the new election date at the second meeting hosted by the country’s President Stevo Pendarovski within a week.
Original election date was 12 April, but the process was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Plus info, ruling SDSM party proposed 21 June as a possible date (the elections in Serbia are also scheduled for this day), while the opposition VMRO-DPMNE supports a later election date, at the end of August or beginning of September.
SDSM leader Zoran Zaev said June 21 is the first date for elections after the end of the state of emergency and based on the government’s decree. He said SDSM has not yet contemplated the option of having elections without the participation of the opposition.
“Irresponsibility, immaturity and thinking only about the party seat has led us to this outcome of having no consensus,” said Zaev. He said the behavior of VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski is detriminal for the country accusing him of being afraid of the citizens and the vote. /argumentum.al
