Alliance of Albanians deputy leader and Gostivar Mayor Arben Taravari predicts that the Zaev Government will fall of Thursday with at least one vote to spare over the necessary 61 votes. The opposition parties initiated a vote of no confidence in Zaev, after it became clear that he is dragging his feet with his announced resignation.

The BESA party defected from the Zaev coalition and joined the opposition but one of the Albanian opposition representatives is announcing he is still not certain how he will vote, putting the two blocs at 60 votes each.

I think we will have more than 61 votes. But let’s wait until Thursday. This is the moment when we can also bring Ali Ahmeti down, and then we will see what the conditions are about forming a new Government, Taravari said, urging all opposition representatives to vote against the Zaev – Ahmeti Government, and leave coalition negotiations for later.

Taravari said that it is clear that the “Zaev boat is sinking”. “There are diversions inside of his camp from a number of members of Parliament, who are part of SDSM or other coalition parties. Even if that boat survives now, it won’t last for more than four or five months. And if we go to early elections, the outcome is clear. Zaev’s coalition lost more than 70 percent of all municipalities – SDSM alone lost 500 to 600 office holders”, Taravari said.