Government Reshuffle Nearing Completion, VLEN Takes Over the Portfolios Currently Led by Filkov and Stoilkovic

Negotiations on the government reshuffle between the ruling coalition partners, VMRO-DPMNE, VLEN and ZNAM, are expected to be concluded by the end of the week.

Sources involved in the talks told ZYRTARE.net that VLEN has secured two of the ministries it requested during the negotiations, namely the portfolios that have so far been headed by two officials described as “problematic,” Igor Filkov and Ivan Stoilkovic.

According to the same sources, at the latest meeting between VLEN leaders and Prime Minister Mickoski, an agreement was reached for the Ministry of Justice, currently led by Igor Filkov, to be handed over to VLEN as part of the reshuffle. The agreement also includes the Ministry of Political System and Inter-Community Relations, which is now headed by Ivan Stoilkovic.

According to the sources, VLEN will also take over the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, as well as the Ministry of Sport, while the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour, Social Policy and Demography are expected to go to VMRO-DPMNE.

After this reshuffle, VLEN is expected to have one more ministerial portfolio than before, given that it will no longer hold the post of deputy prime minister for good governance, a position that until yesterday was held by Arben Fetai.

VMRO-DPMNE has indicated that no major changes are foreseen in the government cabinet, apart from certain limited moves, including the position of the current Minister of Agriculture, Cvetan Tripunovski.

With this reshuffle, the Democratic Party of Turks, led in parliament by MP Bejxhan Iljas, is also expected to join the governing majority; until now it has been part of the European Front led by DUI.

The sources say that talks on the distribution of portfolios should be completed by Friday, while over the weekend the government partners are expected to finalize the list of new ministers’ names before sending it to parliament for a vote.