Ilija Dimovski

Still no newly elected council for national broadcaster:

Changes to the national broadcaster, Macedonian Radio and Television, MRT, and to the institution that regulates the electronic media, the Agency for Audio and Audio-visual Services, AVMU, were key stated priorities for the Social Democrats.

The parliamentary commission in North Macedonia on appointments and dismissals at Thursday's closed session unanimously supported the dismissal of the suspended chief of the Special Prosecution, Katica Janeva, who has been detained in relation to the "Extortion" scandal. All 13 MP members of the commission voted for her dismissal.

Macedonia's main opposition party is jeopardizing the planned autumn referendum on the historic name deal with Greece by blocking the appointment of a new electoral commission that is supposed to prepare it.

Eleven days after the deadline expired to appoint a new State Electoral Commission, DIK, there is no sign that the political gridlock is about to be overcome.

Macedonia's main opposition VMRO DPMNE party insists that its MPs' caucus in parliament stands united behind the new party chief, Hristijan Mickoski, elected in December - despite growing evidence to the contrary.

"The caucus is strong and united. All MPs are actively participating in the decision-making process within the organs of the party," VMRO DPMNE told BIRN on Thursday.

The central and the executive committees of Macedonia's opposition VMRO DPMNE party have until Friday to address the complaints of some 30 prominent party members who claim that the election of a new leader, slated for this weekend at a party congress, will be marred by fraud.

After formally accepting the resignation of long-standing opposition leader Nikola Gruevski on Sunday night, Macedonia's main opposition right-wing VMRO-DPMNE party is set to elect his successor from several possible contestants. The extraordinary congress is scheduled for December 22-23.

The FYROM (Macedonian) Assembly on Wednesday passed in a majority vote a conclusion on the Law on Languages.

Tanjug said in its report that this means a decision has been made that Macedonia needs such a law.

Macedonia's former ruling VMRO DPMNE party has removed several indicted former ministers and senior officials from its executive committee - although with ousted PM Nikola Gruevski still leading the party, the changes appear more cosmetic than substantial, observers say.

VMRO DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski's New Year "mega interview" for the news portal Republika - in which he accused the Foundation Open Society - Macedonia, FOOM, of plotting to topple his government in the name of "foreign interests", naming US Billionaire George Soros as the alleged mastermind - has heated up Macedonia's media and social networks.

As Macedonia's state election commssion, DIK, convened on Thursday evening in Skopje to decide opposition complaints about the general election, thousands of supporters of the ruling VMRO DPMNE party arrived by bus from smaller towns on a mission to "protect" its election victory.