VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski today annoucend that he has reached a general agreement for cooperation with the Albanian opposition bloc VLEN. Mickoski led the party leadership to a meeting with the leaders of the VLEN coalition, in their offices in downtown Skopje. With VLEN’s 13 seats in Parliament, VMRO-DPMNE would have over 70 seats to form a stable Government, before adding any additional coalition partners.

We agreed the broad principles for cooperation in the next Government that will be based on three principles – European integrations, fast economic development and fight against corruption and sustaining the rule of law, Mickoski said in a social media message. Mickoski added that the two sides will form task groups that will continue negotiations until a final agreement to form a coalition.

With Gordana Siljanovska – Davkova to be inaugurated as President tomorrow, and the Parliament to be formed shortly after, Mickoski should receive the mandate to form the next Government in a matter of weeks.

This coalition would relegate DUI to the opposition for only the second time after a two year break in the past 22 years. In a final push to prevent the VMRO – VLEN coalition, DUI leader Ali Ahmeti gathered the press today to present an agreement that he signed with the VLEN leaders, pledging not to support a Government that is not dedicated to Macedonia’s EU integration.
While VMRO is strongly dedicated to bringing Macedonia to the EU, it wants to see a limit to the Bulgarian demands for concessions on issues of national history and Macedonian national identity. VMRO expects a new Government to be formed in Bulgaria following their latest elections, and to attempt to open negotiations with it. According to VLEN officials, a period of six months is sufficient to see if a deal can be made with Bulgaria.