Politics of the Republic of Macedonia

The Social Democrats' vice president Radmila Shekerinska and the party's secretary general Oliver Spasovski are almost sure candidates for key ministerial posts in the new government led by the Social Democrat head Zoran Zaev, BIRN has found out.

The head of the ethnic Albanian Besa party in Macedonia, Bilall Kasami, on Wednesday said his party's participation in a new Social Democrat-led government will depend on whether other participants propose ministers who are entangled in corruption scandals.

''Now everything is in the hands of the political forces in Macedonia.'' This was stated by the Prime Minister Boyko Borisov during an interview on TV+ and quoted by BGNES. The reason for his statement is the mandate which was given by the President of Macedonia Gjorge Ivanov to the leader of the Social Democratic Union Zoran Zaev to form a government.

Macedonia's Prime Minister-designate Zoran Zaev - who received a mandate to form a government on Wednesday - accused Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic of running a hostile "campaign", when talking about an alleged "Macedonian scenario" that would then create instability in Serbia as well.

SDSM leader Zoran Zaev (left) meets with President Gjorge Ivanov on February 27. - Photo: MIA

Macedonian (FYROM) President Gjorge Ivanov has given the mandate to form a government to the leader of the SDSM party Zoran Zaev.

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic says the statements of Zoran Zaev are undermining relations between the two countries.

Zaev, the leader of the SDSM party, earlier on Wednesday became Macedonia's PM-designate.

Macedonia's President Gjorge Ivanov on Wednesday mandated Social Democrat leader Zoran Zaev to form a coalition government with ethnic Albanian parties after holding off for nearly six months, raising hopes for an end to a two-year political deadlock.

After several months of refusing to do so, Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov on Wednesday finally awarded the mandate for forming a government to the Social Democrat leader, Zoran Zaev, removing all remaining obstacles for a peaceful transfer of power.

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov has given the mandate to form a government to the leader of the SDSM party Zoran Zaev.

In a brief address earlier in the day in the presidential residence, Ivanov and Zaev emphasized that all obstacles for giving the mandate to the leader of the parliamentary majority had been removed.

As the formation of a new government in Macedonia under the Social Democrats, SDSM, looms ever closer,  supporters of the once unassailable VMRO DPMNE party - which governed the country for 11 years - say they feel betrayed by their own leadership.