Oliver Spasovski

The European Union's top enlargement official on Wednesday held out new hope that the block will start accession talks within months with North Macedonia and Albania, whose bids were frustrated last year.

After his caretaker cabinet was approved on Friday, Oliver Spasovski - who has taken over as acting Prime Minister of North Macedonia - says he is up to "meeting citizens' expectations" and ensuring the April 12 early general elections pass off without a major hitch.

North Macedonia's parliament on Friday approved a new caretaker government under the country's former interior minister, after Zoran Zaev resigned as prime minister ahead of previously agreed early elections on April 12.

Under a deal made by major political parties, the caretaker government will be headed by Oliver Spasovski, who served in Zaev's center-left administration.

"The government has been working since 8.30 a.m., I have signed my resignation, in accordance with the agreement (for the elections) and the Law on Government. I believe that it will reach the Parliament very soon, which can then start the procedure for electing a transitional government", Zaev said.

The Prime Minister and head of the main ruling Social Democratic Party, Zoran Zaev, and the head of the main opposition VMRO DPMNE party, Hristijan Mickoski, were expected to strike a final deal at the weekend on the formation of a so-called technical government in January, 100 days ahead of the April 12 early elections.

Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia must work together to create an environment of intolerance for corrupt practices. The interior ministers of the two seniors, Mladen Marinov and Oliver Spasovski, said this.

Consideration is also being given to creating a single number for both neighboring countries, to which citizens report corruption in state structures.

North Macedonia's government said on Tuesday that it has decided to form an "operational" anti-graft team headed by Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski and including other top officials.

The team will "work uncompromisingly and through a coordinated approach in the fight against crime and corruption", the government said in a statement.

North Macedonia's Prime Minister and leader of its ruling Social Democratic Party, SDSM, Zoran Zaev, on Sunday said a promised "clean-up" launched after lower than expected results in recent presidential polls would not go without a mass cull of party officials - and will soon include ministers.

Police launched a wide search for former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski after he failed to show up for three days to start serving his two-year jail sentence for the illicit purchase of a luxury limousine.

Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski said on Monday that all 80 MPs whose vote on Friday was key for launching constitutional changes to secure Macedonia's agreement with Greece are receiving 24-hour police protection.