President Stevo Pendarovski announced that he will extend the state of emergency for additional 30 days. Pendarovski acknowledged that the Constitution does not provide for extending the state of emergency, but never the less insisted that he has the authority to do so.
It’s clear that the creators of the Constitution did not foresee this option. The Parliament is not operable and can’t confirm my initial order to declare a state of emergency. That is why I take it upon myself to make the decision, given that we are in an unprecedented situation, Pendarovski said.
He held a meeting of the security council today to discuss the situation with the coronavirus epidemic. Several key officials in charge of the crisis, including interim Prime Minister Oliver Spasovski, Healthcare Minister Venko Filipce and the Deputy Prime MInister who is in charge of coordinating the relief efforts Bujar Osmani did not come to the meeting after they were possibly infected with the coronavirus yesterday, during their meeting with Kumanovo Mayor Maksim Dimitrievski.
The state of emergency allows the Government to adopt decrees with the force of laws, for the duration of the crisis. This authority was used extensively, to provide a modest stimulus package to hard hit companies, to regulate retail prices, but also to hand cash to politically linked prosecutors close to the ruling SDSM party and to pay off the head of the Islamic Community.
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