Gordana Dimitrieska – Kocoska, the interim Deputy Finance Minister, said that she will prevent all payments out of the budget that are being used to buy votes in the run up to the elections. Dimitrieska was nominated by the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party to one of the Government positions where her approval will be needed to make key decisions by the Minister.

We begin our work the moment we enter the Finance Ministry, and the citizens can rest assured that no payments that are contrary to the law will be made. Everything that constitutes bribery, vote buying ahead of the elections, will be prevented. We will work in accordance with the law, Dimitrieska said.

The Zaev regime prepared a huge budget that near four billion EUR for 2020, and is promising higher public sector wages and pensions in what is seen as a naked attempt to buy votes as his SDSM party trails in the polls. Other departments which hand out transfers to large groups of voters, like the Labour and Welfare Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry, are also placed under co-management with opposition ministers or deputy ministers.