Mickoski: Government is stable in the region, coalition leaders to meet in December
Mickoski says the cabinet has a comfortable majority and will call coalition leaders in December as a dispute over the language of the judicial exam continues.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski defended his coalition's stability after a ZNAM threat to quit the cabinet, saying the Government holds a comfortable majority and announcing a coalition leaders' meeting to be held in December.
Answering reporters during the opening of a kindergarten in Injcikovo, Mickoski said: "The government is elected with a majority of 61 MPs in parliament. We have a majority that is much more than 61 MPs, so the Government is stable, or the most stable in this part of Europe, perhaps even wider. We continue to deliver to citizens what is important, here like this facility and other types of policies."
When asked whether the cabinet's stability was under threat after ZNAM leader Maksim Dimitrievski said his party would leave the Government unless an agreement is reached about the language of the judicial exam, Mickoski confirmed he had spoken with Dimitrievski and announced the planned meeting.
Leaders' meeting and the judicial exam proposal
"Yes, that's correct, we discussed a coalition leaders' meeting and I said that within December we will organise such a coalition leaders' meeting," Mickoski told reporters. The planned session is intended to gather the ruling partners to address outstanding issues inside the coalition.
On the substance of the dispute, the Government has tabled a model for the judicial qualification exam that divides the test into two parts. The first, a theoretical section covering undergraduate-level material, would be allowed to be taken in the language in which the candidate completed their higher education in the country if that language is different from Macedonian — specifically Albanian, Turkish or English. The second part, which simulates two court proceedings (a criminal and a civil case), would be taken in Macedonian.
Mickoski said the Government will urgently request an opinion from the Venice Commission on the proposed model. Dimitrievski, meanwhile, warned: "We will leave the Government if the acceptance of taking the judicial exam in a language other than Macedonian is approved." Mickoski added that for Dimitrievski's precise positions on the matter, reporters should ask him directly.
Photo: press material from the event
