Macedonia Finishes Touches to New Government

The names of Macedonia's new ministers and their deputies should be known by Friday, unnamed party sources told the Macedonian daily newspaper, Dnevnik.

According to these sources, Gruevski, head of VMRO-DPMNE, and Ali Ahmeti, head of the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, have already agreed on 90 per cent of the posts.

Gruevski who has held power since 2006 was asked to form a new government after he won the June 5 general election, albeit with a reduced majority. The DUI again emerged winner in the country’s ethnic Albanian block.

VMRO-DPMNE officials say at least half the ministers in the new government coming from their ranks will be fresh names.

Amid continuing official silence about the ongoing talks, DUI sources say they have agreed to split the ministries 2:1 in favour of their senior partner.

The DUI this time is expected to have a slightly stronger position in the government with one more ministerial post than before.

It is  a virtual certainty that the DUI will now hold five ministries and will also name two vice-prime ministers - one in in charge of monitoring the 2001 Ohrid peace deal and another in charge of European affairs.

The DUI is expected this time to hold the Defence and Justice ministries, which previously went to VMRO-DPMNE nominees, while retaining Economy, Local Government and one minister without portfolio.

While ministerial posts appear done and dusted, “directorial posts are still matter of negotiations”, an unnamed DUI official told Dnevnik on Wednesday.

Gruevski has until mid-July to submit his new government to parliament for approval.

Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski before the start of Wednesday's second session of the freshly elected assembly declared that the parties had agreed on the division of the three posts of parliamentary vice-president.

One vice-president, as well as the speaker, will be elected from within VMRO-DPMNE. One will be from the DUI and the third will come from the ranks of the largest opposition party, the Social Democrats.

Their election will most likely happen at the next parliamentary session.