The Macedonian parliament launched the debate on the proposed new reformist government led by the centre-left Social Democrats on May 30. 

A vote on the new government is expected to take place by midnight on May 31, ending a decade of rule by the conservative VMRO-DPMNE. This follows a deep and lengthy political crisis, and repeated attempts by VMRO-DPMNE and President Gjorge Ivanov to prevent the Social Democrats from forming a government. 

The government will be composed of three parties, the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), as well as the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), a former partner of VMRO-DPMNE in the previous government, and the Alliance for Albanians. The three parties have a slim majority of 62 MPs in the 120-seat parliament.

Prime Minister-designate Zoran Zaev presented the government programme promising a better economy, strong and professional institutions, justice for all and EU and Nato membership.

“We are determined to build a united society that will provide stability for citizens and the state,” Zaev told lawmakers.

He promised that the new government will work on the implementation of urgent reform priorities as part of the EU-mediated Przino agreement, reached in 2015 to overcome the country’s political crisis.

Other promises include independent media, zero tolerance for crime and corruption and the establishment of special department at the Skopje basic court in charge of cases investigated by the Special Prosecution Office (SPO), which was set up in 2015 to probe high-level crime.

“We will face serious challenges and reforms for which the new government will be fully responsible,” Zaev said.

However, harsh criticism has been levelled at the SDSM during the debate. 

A MP from the ethnic Albanian Besa party, which decided not to participate in the new government, said that Besa will not vote for the new government because Zaev allowed DUI to appoint corrupt ministers.

For Antonio Milososki, a MP from VMRO and former foreign minister, the new government programme has unrealistic promises.

The government consists of 25 ministers, of which seven are without portfolio.

Key appointments in the new cabinet will be: defence minister - Radmila Sekerinska, interior minister - Oliver Spasovski, foreign minister - Nikola Dimitrov and finance minister - Dragan Tevdovski, according to an SDSM statement.