SKOPJE, Nov 1 (Hina) - Following a 12-hour-long parliamentary debate, Macedonia's Sobranje on late Thursday night cast a vote confidence in the new government consisting of representatives of the Social Democrat Alliance and Liberal
Democratic Party, which ran together in the previous election, and of representatives (ethnic Albanian) Democratic Union for Integration party.
SKOPJE, Nov 1 (Hina) - Following a 12-hour-long parliamentary
debate, Macedonia's Sobranje on late Thursday night cast a vote
confidence in the new government consisting of representatives of
the Social Democrat Alliance and Liberal Democratic Party, which
ran together in the previous election, and of representatives
(ethnic Albanian) Democratic Union for Integration party. #L#
In the parliament, 72 MPs voted for the government led by Premier
Branko Crvenkovski, and 28 were against.
Ilinka Mitreva is Foreign Minister, while Hari Kostov is at the helm
of the interior ministry. Economy Minister is Ilija Filipovski, and
Finance Minister as well as Vice Premier is Petar Gosev, while
Justice minister is Ismail Dardista. There are another eight
ministers with portfolio and three without portfolio.
During his address to the parliament, PM Crvenkovski said the main
tasks of the new government would be to implement the Ohrid
Agreements and continue stabilising Macedonia, enhance the
country's economic development and fight against crime and
corruption.
The implementation of the Ohrid documents is not a stage in the
demands of ethnic Albanians, but it presents a final solution for
the further building and functioning of the Macedonian state, he
added. This offers the answer to the question why the Democratic
Union for Integration, headed by Ali Ahmeti, a leader of the
Liberation National Army which last year provoked armed conflict,
was chosen as a coalition partner of the ruling coalition, the
newly-elected PM said adding the participation of this party in the
authorities, after it mustered the largest number of votes of
ethnic Albanians, meant that the party in question now also took
over a part of responsibility for peace and stability of the
country.
Representatives of the VMRO-DPMNE and the Liberal Party voted
against the new government, objecting to the new Premier over
forming a coalition with commanders of the Liberation National
Army, although during the pre-election campaign Crvenkovski
claimed that there would be no place for extremists in his Cabinet.
At yesterday's parliamentary session, which was held under tight
security measures after a bomb exploded near side entrances to the
parliament in the early morning, there were no Ali Ahmeti, the
leader of the Democratic Union for Integration, although he was
elected as an MP.
(hina) ms