After the Parliament confirmed the resignation of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on Thursday, the ten-day deadline began in which President Stevo Pendarovski should hand the mandate to form a new government. The head of state said in a TV interview the same day that he expected to give the mandate to the prime minister on Tuesday or Wednesday.
“I need one more letter, to whom should I give a mandate. I cannot guess who it will be, I have to get a letter from a party or parties that should say we have a majority and that certain person is the prime minister. I cannot give the mandate to SDSM, I have to know who I give it to as a person, to a specific person,” Pendarovski said in an interview with TV Kanal 5.
The newly elected leader of SDSM Dimitar Kovachevski is expected to be nominated for prime minister. According to the announcements, today the Central Board of SDSM will meet, at which Kovachevski should be officially confirmed as a candidate for a new prime minister.
Once the prime minister-designate receives the mandate to form a new government, he is expected to submit his work program and the composition of the new cabinet to parliament in the first half of January, after which MPs will have to vote on a new government. To be elected, at least 61 MPs must vote for the proposed staff. The new parliamentary majority composed of the coalition led by SDSM, along with DUI, Alternativa and DPA has 64 MPs in Parliament.
