Politics of the Republic of Macedonia

Authorities in the Macedonian capital have denied claims that they are scrambling to collect the cash to complete the 18.5 million euro project for a London Eye-style big wheel on their own, after the new government cut funding for what it calls unproductive investment.

The parliamentary speaker and the ruling majority are being urged to take action to curb the stalling tactics of the opposition VMRO DPMNE party which have been blocking parliament's work for the past month and a half.

The Macedonian prosecution team tasked with investigating high-level crime has confirmed it intends to challenge the Skopje Criminal Court decision not to freeze the assets of the former ruling party VMRO DPMNE before the Supreme Court.

The opposition VMRO DPMNE party has begun what appears to be a campaign of no-confidence motions in parliament, although they are not likely to succeed, as the Social Democrats and their ruling coalition partners hold a small but solid majority among the 120 MPs.

Macedonia's Social Policy Ministry has denounced as lies claims by the opposition right-wing VMRO DPNNE party that the country is considering building permanent housing and issuing citizenship to migrants from the war-torn Middle-Eastern countries who are traversing its territory.

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev signed in Skopje the Friendship, Good Neighborhood and Cooperation Agreement between Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia, reported BGNES.

Zoran Zaev - Photo: Tanjug / Nemanja Jovanovic

FYROM (Macedonian) PM Zoran Zaev is ready to make concessions "if Athens is ready to drop its opposition to Macedonia's membership of the EU and NATO."

This has been reported by the US website Politico, in an article dedicated to Zaev, and headlined, "Change of guard atop 'disastrous' Balkan state."

Macedonian government has approved at today's meeting its draft agreement on friendship, good neighborliness and cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Bulgaria, reported BGNES.

This was announced by the government's press service.

The government took a decision to urge Prime Minister Zoran Zaev to sign the treaty.

The Skopje Court of Appeals has decided against detaining former Macedonian Prime Minister and VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski and four of his associates.

This came ahead of the trial where they will stand accused of involvement in election theft, the court announced on its website, Tanjug is reporting on Monday.

Former Macedonian Prime Minister Gruevski and other former ministers from his government who have been charged with masterminding election fraud in 2013 will remain free but with their passports seized as a precautionary measure, the country's Appeals Court has ruled.