A new round of pressure and blackmail is expected against opposition members in the Parliament after talks on the law on public prosecutors failed. The Zaev Government needs a two thirds majority in order to push the law through Parliament and make the position of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, the partisan outfit Zaev used to take over power and silence the opposition, into a permanent institution.

VMRO-DPMNE objects to the proposed draft of the law and demands that significant personnel changes are made to the SPO, as well as to have the opposition appoint the next Public Prosecutor. After the latest round of talks failed, SDSM spokesman Kostadin Kostadinov announced that the ruling party may try to achieve the necessary majority without VMRO.

There is a procedure in Parliament, where the representatives will vote according to their conscience. I believe that my colleagues in the Parliament have honest intentions to establish the rule of law in the Republic of North Macedonia, Kostadinov said.

Given the way in which the SDSM Government reached a two thirds majority to rename the country – by bribing and blackmailing nine opposition members of Parliament who faced charges from the SPO or the regular state prosecutors, Kostadinov’s statement announced that similar tactics could be used to make the SPO permanent.

How these talks end could affect the outcome of the European Council meeting this summer, where Macedonia expects to be allowed to open EU accession talks. A systemic law on issues such as the state prosecutor’s service should be adopted by consensus from the largest parties, but SDSM could use new threats of arrests and bribes to achieve this goal without the support of the largest opposition party.