North Macedonia’s Premier Steps Down to Open Path for Successor
North Macedonia’s Premier Steps Down to Open Path for Successor
(Bloomberg) -- North Macedonia’s prime minister, Zoran Zaev, submitted his resignation on Wednesday after securing a majority to elect his successor and continue his party’s four-year term in power.
Zaev vowed to leave office after his Social Democrats lost local elections in October to the nationalist opposition. He then delayed his resignation to reorganize his coalition with parties representing ethnic Albanians to retain its majority.
He named Dimitar Kovacevski, a 47-year-old Harvard-trained economist who currently serves as deputy finance minister, to take over as prime minister and propose a cabinet.
The former Yugoslav country of 2 million has been caught in a tug-of-war for influence between Russia and the West. In office since 2017, Zaev reached a historic agreement with Greece to change his country’s name and open the door to NATO membership.
But he has failed to start European Union accession talks due to a veto by neighboring Bulgaria over disputes about history, language and minority rights.
“The results of the last elections, although they were local, at that political moment had a national political significance,” Zaev said in the resignation letter. “It would be irresponsible and unjustifiable to my people and my country if I personally continue to lead the government on the Euroatlantic path.”
Kovachevski may get a mandate to form a government from the president in the next 10 days, and a new government may be approved next month. The ruling coalition controls 64 seats in the 120-member assembly.
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