Macedonian Anti-Corruption Commission Blocked

Since her third consecutive term ended last month, the current head, Mirjana Dimovska, has repeatedly failed to set up a session for the election of a new leader of the commission, thus effectively blocking its work.

Slagjana Taseva, head of the NGO Transparency- Zero Corruption, argues that Dimovska’s conduct is intolerable. She suggests that Dimovska should tender her resignation as a first step in getting out of the current gridlock.

“The other members of the commission are also to blame because they have reacted pâssively towards her authoritarian manner. This has stained the credibility of the institution as a whole,” Taseva told Balkan Insight.

Last week, Dimovska informed the other commission members that the session had been canceled, without giving an explanation for her decision.

After her announcement, several members of the Commission on Friday gave her an ultimatum, demanding that she organise a session by Wednesday. If she failed to do so, they warned, the other members would organise one without her.

Dimovska told members of the commission that if they act on their own and announce a session without her presence, it would not be legal.

After a heated parliamentary discussion earlier this month, the ruling centre-right VMRO DPMNE MPs spared Dimovska from a dismissal motion filed by the main opposition party, the Social Democrats, SDSM.

The SDSM also claimed that the anti-corruption fighter has no moral credibility to ask for a fourth term in office and added that her actions in the past few years have been subject to the will of the ruling majority.

They accused her of turning a blind eye to the shady businesses of certain government officials and those close to them.

Local media speculate that current member of the commission Ilir Selami is most likely to become Dimovska’s successor. He offered to tender his resignation immediately if that would solve the problem, but argued that this move would only add oil to the fire.