North Macedonia’s Parliament Rejects Interpellation Against Interior Minister Panče Toshkovski

North Macedonia’s Parliament did not support the interpellation on the work of Interior Minister Panče Toshkovski, initiated by “The Left.” After the debate concluded, 77 lawmakers voted, with 58 against and 19 in favor.

According to the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, an interpellation is considered under a clearly defined procedure for submission and voting. The discussion takes place in a plenary session, lasts one working day, and must be concluded no later than 24:00 on the same day, when the vote is also held.

In the summary of the interpellation, The Left lawmaker Amar Mecinović assessed that “the Republic of North Macedonia is an unsafe country because of its Ministry of the Interior” and that “the apparatus for ensuring citizens’ safety is not functioning properly.”

“The truth is that the overall situation in Macedonia is not where it should be. Macedonia is an unsafe country because of its Ministry of the Interior, which is not making structural changes to ensure that security. Macedonia is a country in which normal activities can have greater consequences because the apparatus for ensuring citizens’ safety is not functioning properly, because it is seen as an apparatus for filling political posts,” he said.

For his part, Interior Minister Panče Toshkovski said in his response that he would be maximally committed to improving the situation.

“I will do everything I can to improve at least one thing in every segment; the citizens see this and know it. I will never lie and I will try to give my all. Time will tell whether this will be enough,” the minister said.

During the debate, the opposition claimed there had been “scandals, failures and zero accountability” and called for his resignation. On the other hand, Toshkovski and VMRO-DPMNE lawmakers responded by citing “concrete results, increased efficiency and dismantled criminal groups,” assessing that there is no basis for a demand against a minister who “is making efforts and has results.”