Zoran Zaev initially nominated a close and friendly prosecutor Vilma Ruskoska to be the next Special Prosecutor, following the spectacular implosion of Katica Janeva. After journalists reminded him that Janeva was elected by all major political parties, Zaev denied that he ever said what he said, Ruskoska’s public expression of gratitude to the Prime Minister notwithstanding.

Today it was revealed that the draft law which Zaev’s Government proposed to the Parliament actually contains a clause that Vilma Ruskoska, as head of the current organized crime unit, will be the next Special Prosecutor by default. This article was placed in the final clauses of the draft law.

VMRO-DPMNE rejected Ruskoska’s nomination outright, considering her just as biased as Janeva was, given the long list of politically driven charges Ruskoska initiated since Zaev’s take over of the Government in 2017. Other political parties, even DUI which is in Zaev’s coalition, objected to the idea that Zaev can just nominate the next Special Prosecutor, who should, in theory, do what Janeva never did and investigate crimes committed by officials of the ruling SDSM party. Ruskoska is still being called out to expand her investigation into the major racketeering scandal which forced Janeva to resign, given that two weeks after the initial arrests, Ruskoska still hasn’t charged Janeva, or any of the SDSM party officials suspected of being part of the major group involved in extortion of millions.

Zaev today insisted that he is not even asking about the case and how it’s progressing.

I try not to call or get informed about the events in the Special Prosecutor’s Office. I will only encourage the prosectuors to continue their investigation. Every day there is more debate on it. I know nothing about the forensic investigations. Let the prosecutors decide. I believe that Zaev should not get involved there, Zaev said, referring to himself in the third person.

He asked the opposition not to condition its support for the new law on state prosecutors with holding early elections, saying that it would negative affect the economic situation.

VMRO-DPMNE insists that the suspicion raised about Katica Janeva, one of the persons most responsible for bringing Zaev to power, and the arrest of their close associate Bojan Jovanovski – Boki 13, as well as the failure to make a move against the SDSM officials involved in the extortion, has thoroughly discredited both Zaev and the judiciary and that the situation can only be resolved by early elections.