New Prime Minister of Northern Macedonia
After more than two months of political crisis, northern Macedonia received new Prime Minister Dmitry Kozhevsky on Sunday.
Dmitry Kozhevsky in the Macedonian Parliament on Sunday, January 16, 2022 in Skopje.
AFP
After more than two months of political crisis, the parliament of northern Macedonia on Sunday elected Dmitry Kozhevsky of the Social Democrats as prime minister. The new coalition government led by Dmitry Kozhevsky’s Social Democratic Party (SDSM) was supported by 56 to 62 delegates.
Dmitry Kozhevsky, the deputy finance minister in the previous government, took office after Zoran Zaev resigned in December after his party suffered a major defeat in the municipal elections. Presenting his plan in parliament on Saturday, 47-year-old Dimitar Kozhevsky assured that his team’s priority goal is “sustainable and robust economic growth.”
The head of SDSM, who took over in December, promised to tackle the country’s energy crisis and work closer to the EU. The previous SDSM-led government also escaped a no-confidence vote in November after weeks of negotiations with smaller parties.
Member of the European Union
Since then, opposition parties have accused the government of lacking legitimacy and calling for early elections. Dmitry Kozhevsky reiterated that elections will be held in 2024 as planned. As the Deputy Minister of Finance, Dmitry Kozhevsky, an economist did not stand alone. Political observers have questioned his ability to negotiate the challenges facing the country.
In domestic politics, he must deal with the complex relations between the coalition parties and fight corruption, which is an obstacle to the country’s economy. In foreign policy, the main challenge must be to advance the negotiations for EU membership blocked by Bulgaria.
In 2019, the country added “from the north” with its official name to distinguish itself from the Greek province of Macedonia. This change was a precondition for paving the way for EU membership, which allowed it to join NATO. But due to historical issues and controversies over the origin of the Macedonian language, Bulgaria continues to stand in the way of EU members.
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