The Parliament session on the vote of no confidence against the government led by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. The vote should be taken by midnight at the latest. The session comes after an initiative, signed by 61 MPs, was filed by VMRO-DPMNE together with Alliance for Albanians and Alternativa, Levica, and Besa. Following a reaction by Alternativa MP Skender Rexhepi, Levica leader Dimitar Apasiev, as well as 16 VMRO-DPMNE MPs withdrew their signatures from the list.

61 MPs are present at the session, but Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi left the session because he does not support the initiative and called on the Vice President of the Parliament Fadil Zendeli to chair the session, after which he gave a ten-minute break.

Besa’s MP, Kastriot Rexhepi, is missing. The briefings from the opposition are that Rexhepi’s two phones are turned off, and there is no one in either of his two apartments.

 

The session is attended by MPs from VMRO-DPMNE, Alliance of Albanians and Alternative, Besa and Levica. Among them are two MPs who are isolated due to Covid-19, the coordinator of the parliamentary group of VMRO-DPMNE Nikola Micevski and the MP from VMRO-DPMNE Angelika Petkova.

The MPs from SDSM and DUI are not present at the session. The session on is held in the dome hall, without the presence of the media, because journalists do not have access to that hall. The explanations are that a new voting system is being installed in the plenary hall “Macedonia”.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and other members of the Government are also present.

A majority vote of the total number of MPs is required for the Parliament to pass the no-confidence motion against the Government. If a vote of no confidence is passed, the government is obliged to resign, according to the Constitution. But it remains in office until a new government is elected.