An active blockade in the Parliament by some of the MPs from the opposition marked the past year 2022. VMRO-DPMNE began the blockade in May, which, as the party announced at the time, will last until an agreement is reached on a date for early parliamentary elections. The blockade, according to the party, also meant “obstructing harmful laws and policies.” For the government, despite the boycott and blockades, the Parliament was functioning.

Regarding early parliamentary elections, the stability of the parliamentary majority, as well as an assessment of the work of the Parliament in the past year, MIA requested answers from the larger parliamentary political parties – SDSM, VMRO-DPMNE, DUI, Levica, LDP, Alliance for Albanians, Alternative and BESA Movement.

The government and the opposition do not abandon their positions. According to SDSM, there will be no early parliamentary elections and they will be held in the regular term in 2024, and VMRO-DPMNE proposes that they be held in the spring, in the period between May 14 and 21, 2023.

The increased activities on the ground for SDSM do not mean preparation for early elections, but, as indicated by the party for MIA, the past cycle of party events is only a continuation of the intense activities of the party in order for the citizens to familiarize themselves with the policies of SDSM, but also to hear their opinions, ideas and suggestions.

SDSM leader and Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski says that parliamentary elections will be held together with the presidential elections in 2024 and there are no plans for a government reshuffle.

According to the largest opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, the chaos in the government, the situation in the country and public opinion polls show that spring elections are a necessity.

VMRO-DPMNE says that the current political situation in the country is intolerable, both between the parties and within some parties, that is, in SDSM, DUI and Alternative. The party announces the use of all mechanisms to achieve its goal and creativity in finding ways to hold those elections.

VMRO-DPMNE would like to see the Albanian opposition parties as its partner in the future government, which, although they agree that they do not have the strength that DUI currently has, they still believe that there is great dissatisfaction among the voting body of ethnic Albanians who believe that would encourage certain changes in that direction.

According to DUI, there will be no early parliamentary elections and there should not be.

There should not be early parliamentary elections and there won’t be, because we are maximally interested in realizing the program objectives that are before us and for which the citizens gave us a mandate. Elections are not the solution, but the solution is to address all the needs and problems of the citizens, DUI told MIA.

Alliance for Albanians claims that it is ready for elections whenever they are held. It told MIA that they believe that the country needs a new majority, a new Government, more stable, and clean, which will fight against corruption.

Alternative says they do not see a special reason for holding early parliamentary elections, but, they say, if they take place, the party is ready to participate with its political capital and performance in the Government, as well as to run with its political program. According to them, they do not expect elections until 2024, and now, they add, is the time for work.

LDP leader, Monika Zajkova, told MIA that her personal position is that there should not be early elections in this unfavorable moment of economic and energy crisis followed by a war that is happening on the European continent.

The BESA Movement believes that the Government does not have the capacity and political legitimacy to represent the citizens and therefore, according to them, elections are necessary. The party says early parliamentary elections should take place in 2023.

Levica believes that early parliamentary elections will mean “a chance to restore the Macedonian national positions, stop the process of disintegration of the national elements and a monumental step towards the final victory of the majority over the will of the few.”