After the long awaited purge of the Government was reduced to a few largely insignificant changes, Zoran Zaev now faces the task of performing changes into the lower levels of his administration. But here too he faces an obstacle in the form of his main coalition partner – DUI – which requests autonomy in who it nominates in leadership positions in the institutions this party manages.

The pro-Government TV24 reports that Zaev still hasn’t reached agreement with DUI leader Ali Ahmeti over who will be the sacrificial lamb in the lower echelon purge. An earlier report that the big cash cow ELEM – the state managed energy company – will be given to DUI is no longer on the table. According to the TV station, Zaev will promote Vasko Kovacevski, another SDSM official, to the leadership position in ELEM. Kovacevski is currently the manager of the REK Bitola coal mine and power plant which produces much of ELEM’s electricity. Meanwhile, Zlatko Kurkievski, head of the SDSM party branch in Bitola, will be promoted to manager of REK Bitola.

TV24 also adds that Zaev is expected to remove Jovan Despotovski, the head of the much ridiculed Innovation Fund, which has been plagued by allegations of fraud and abuse in favor of SDSM party officials and journalists close to the ruling party.

Another Innovation Fund scandal – company with alleged ties to Government supporters claimed money to develop devices which are already sold in India