North Macedonia government to face no-confidence vote

Parliament in North Macedonia will vote on Thursday on a motion of no confidence in the Social Democrat-led government.
The vote was scheduled by parliamentary Speaker Talat Xhaferi on Monday, North Macedonian media reported.
Opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski of the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE party had proposed the motion.
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announced his resignation a week ago after his Social Democrats (SDSM) suffered a heavy defeat in local elections. He has, however, not formally resigned yet.
Among other defeats, the SDSM lost the mayor's post in Skopje to a candidate supported by the right.
Mickoski argues that the opposition now has a slim majority in parliament of 61 out of 120 lawmakers.
The decisive factor is a promised change of sides by the small Albanian party Besa, which is currently a coalition partner in Zaev's cabinet.
If the no-confidence motion passes on Thursday, President Stevo Pendarovski will have to appoint another politician who can command a majority in parliament to form a new government. Observers believe it is possible that neither Mickoski nor the Social Democrats will succeed. This would then result in new elections.