The first Albanian Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Talat Xhaferi, who was voted on January 28, will not have full powers, but rather technical or limited competencies.
This is stated by Naser Ziberi, a candidate for prime minister from the ranks of the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI) in the 2020 parliamentary elections, for Radio Free Europe.
The Government led by Dimitar Kovačevski submitted its resignation to the Assembly on January 25, while Talat Xhaferi, in his capacity as Speaker of the Parliament, also resigned to pave the way for procedures for his transition to head the technical Government.
The North Macedonian Assembly acknowledged on Friday the resignation of the Government, and Jovan Mitreski from the SDSM was elected as the new Speaker of the Assembly.
The promise for the first Albanian prime minister
In the 2020 parliamentary elections, the Democratic Union for Integration, led by Ali Ahmeti, ran with the slogan “For the first Albanian Prime Minister”, while its candidate was the lawyer and former politician, Naser Ziberi.
Since the elections were won by the Social Democratic Union, Zoran Zaev was elected as prime minister, who then led the SDSM.
However, to fulfill the promise of the BDI, Zoran Zaev and Ali Ahmeti agreed in the coalition agreement that in the last 100 days of the Government’s work, a prime minister proposed by the Democratic Union for Integration would be appointed.
This refers to the technical Government, provided for by the Law on Elections, whose main task is to organize and conduct elections, and part of it will also be the Macedonian opposition with two ministers and three deputy ministerial posts.
Ziberi: Albanian Prime Minister, only for technical matters
However, Naser Ziberi, who is now in the position of Ombudsman, says it would have been better if the BDI had agreed to a proposal from VMRO-DPMNE to annul the technical Government in the last 100 days of the executive’s work, as this way, according to him, the way would be opened for the appointment of a political prime minister, or with full powers.
“I, personally, have thought that since it was not achieved for the mandate of the Albanian prime minister to be at least one or even two years, then VMRO-DPMNE’s proposal should have been accepted, to abolish the technical Government as a legal obligation in the last three months of the prime minister’s mandate, and the government thereafter to be technical with the inclusion of opposition representatives in it. Why do I say this? Because I thought that if this were removed and the agreement respected, then the future Albanian prime minister would be with full capacity, not just technical,” says Ziberi.
According to him, it is good that North Macedonia will have an Albanian prime minister for the first time, but his capacity will be limited.
“The fact that he will conform to what the Law on the Government provides makes him disadvantaged, respectively with limited capacity, which means that government is not political but technical. Therefore, its capacity is reduced and this leaves much to be desired. He is not a prime minister with full capacity,” says Naser Ziberi, former prime ministerial candidate from the ranks of the BDI in the 2020 elections.
Despite this, the BDI in all its appearances in the opinion, has praised the appointment of Talat Xhaferi as a prime minister of the technical Government, as one of the “greatest achievements”.
On January 28, Talat Xhaferi was elected as the Prime Minister of the technical Government of North Macedonia, becoming the first Albanian to hold this position in the state.
65 deputies voted in favor, 3 were against, and there were no abstentions.
Xhaferi’s technical government has a mandate to organize and conduct parliamentary elections scheduled for May 8.
During the parliamentary debate earlier on January 28, Xhaferi presented the government’s work program, which will have a 100-day mandate to organize and conduct parliamentary elections scheduled for May 8.
Xhaferi, who previously held the position of Speaker of the Parliament, said that regardless of how long he will be at the helm of the Government, he will do everything to fulfill the duties, in accordance with the Constitution and the expectations of the citizens.
For the vote on the technical Government, at least 61 out of 120 deputies of the Assembly of North Macedonia were required to vote. Even without the votes of VMRO-DPMNE, the current majority had the necessary number to approve the new executive.
