Public Safety Bureau

North Macedonia's government said on Tuesday that it has decided to form an "operational" anti-graft team headed by Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski and including other top officials.

The team will "work uncompromisingly and through a coordinated approach in the fight against crime and corruption", the government said in a statement.

After Macedonia's parliament canceled Friday's session due to damage caused by rioters, heavily equipped riot police were deployed in front of the building in anticipation of more protests on Friday afternoon.

The cross-party working group that meets under the guidance of the former Belgian MP and expert Peter Vanhoutte has halted work on pinpointing key reforms and is to go on a summer break until August 17.

The vice-president of the opposition Social Democrats, Radmila Sekerinska, has slated the main ruling VMRO DPMNE party for cancelling a key meeting on implementing reforms only half an hour before it was due to start on Monday.

Personnel changes and a boost to the powers of several important state offices are on the table of the inter-party working groups monitored by Brussels, which started work at last week after the government and opposition on Wednesday agreed on the formation of an interim government and early elections to be held on April 24.