VMRO-DPMNE will nominate a different candidate for interim Interior Minister, after the SDSM party strongly objected to the appointment of Dragan Kovacki. Kovacki came from the Defense Ministry as a highly recommended army veteran, but SDSM insisted that he can’t be appointed to the Interior Ministry because he has not been out of uniform for at least three years, citing a constitutional provision.

This opposition was due to the fear of Zoran Zaev and SDSM have from going to the elections. They know they will face all the consequences of their rule and will face accountability, VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski said during a press conference today.

Mickoski did not name the next candidate VMRO will propose as interim Interior Minister, but said it will again be a highly qualified professional and will be named during the day. The interim Government is supposed to be elected tomorrow, as part of the 100 days rule that ensures the ruling SDSM party will not be in a position to fully abuse the public administration for its electoral purposes. Zaev is set to resign, and be replaced by the current Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski, while VMRO will nominated the interim Interior and Labour and Welfare ministers, as well as three deputy ministers who will have veto rights over pre-election spending. Spasovski was busy re-organizing the Interior Ministry, clearly with the goal of having SDSM party loyalists in key positions before a VMRO nominated candidate is placed in charge of the Ministry.

Zaev’s system rejects professionals. Professionals are not the natural environment for Zoran Zaev or Oliver Spasovski, they prefer to be surrounded by loyalists and nepotistic hires. They are now evoking the Constitution against us, after they violated it innumerable times. The constitutional article they cite to prevent the appointment of Kovacki is contradictory to other articles, which guarantee the right of all citizens to be involved in the executive, Mickoski said.

Mickoski give examples of past similar appointments and the fact that the Constitutional Court recused itself from stopping these appointments.

The resistance to the appointment of our candidate is an injustice done to his competence and professionalism, but even greater injustice would be to postpone the elections for a single day more. With each passing day with this Government in office it inflicts more damage to our country. I will not give them the satisfaction to escape from the elections, or from the accountability that will follow after the elections. For this purpose, I will today nominate a new candidate to lead the Interior Ministry. Zaev will fall and together with our people, we will overcome all the obstacles on the way to renew Macedonia, Mickoski added.

The opposition leader said that he is involved in last minute consultations with Zaev, who is still outside of the country, and with DUI party leader Ali Ahmeti, before the new candidate is officially nominated. Mickoski said that he spoke with Zaev on the phone this morning, to push again for the appointment of Kovacki, but the outgoing Prime Minister did not budge.