Macedonia Govt Defends Record After Completing 100 Days
Macedonia's new government on Wednesday completed its first 100 days in office, which Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said he considered a success both in terms of domestic and foreign policy.
The opposition, however, said Zaev's new Social Democrat-led government was responsible only for "cancelled projects, economic downfall, borrowing, reckless and superficial moves".
Zaev on Wednesday presented a report on the government's initial work, under the motto, "Word is a word".
Zaev said officials' activities and measures in the first 100 days had focused on reform in five sectors: returning peoples' money, the economy, the restoration of institutions to serving the citizens, friendship with neighbouring countries and openness in the government.
After two years of political crisis marked by a corruption scandal and even by violent clashes in parliament in April, which left several MPs injured, Macedonia finally got its new government in May.
The government was elected by a slim majority in parliament, led by Zaev of the centre-left Social Democrats, amid continued tension between ethnic Macedonians and Albanians.
In terms of foreign policy, Zaev said the signing of an agreement on good neighbourly relations with Bulgaria offered proof that, "Where there is will, problems can easily be solved".
The new government was also "leading the process of reaffirmation of relations with Greece", Zaev said, referring to the long-lasting dispute with Athens over Macedonia's name, to which Greece objects - which Greece has used to block Macedonia's NATO membership and EU integration.
Zaev announced that a strategy for judicial reform would be adopted in the next few days, which the government sees as a priority for...
- Log in to post comments