In a historic move, Talat Xhaferi was elected as the head of a caretaker government in North Macedonia, making him the first Albanian to hold the position. He will lead the country until the upcoming general elections scheduled for early May.
Prior to his nomination as prime minister, Xhaferi had served as the speaker in parliament. The main objective of the current government coalition is to ensure fair and free elections.
Xhaferi secured 65 votes in the 120-seat parliament, but the opposition party chose to boycott the vote, despite having a few seats in the caretaker government.
Addressing lawmakers before the vote, Xhaferi pledged to carry out his duty with trust, honor, and high responsibility.
Xhaferi’s appointment as Prime Minister signifies a significant milestone as it marks the first time an Albanian has held such a high office in the country. Albanians comprise about 29.5% of North Macedonia’s population, which stands at approximately 1.8 million people.
The upcoming elections on May 8 will be a crucial moment for the new parliament and government as they tackle the issue of amending the constitution to recognize a Bulgarian minority.
As part of the negotiations, Bulgaria has agreed to allow its West Balkan neighbor to begin membership talks with the European Union.
Since the outbreak of fighting in 2001 between government troops and ethnic Albanian rebels demanding more rights, the country has experienced a tumultuous journey, with various internal challenges and developments.
(Reporting by Fatos Bytyci and Ognen Teofilovski. Editing by Jane Merriman)
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