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.”

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Bočvarski recalled that at the start of his term, Toshkovski had promised a professional and efficient police force, reforms, a higher level of security and stronger public trust. According to him, professional criteria for promotion had also been promised, based on education, experience and ability, rather than political affiliation.

According to the SDSM MP, instead of the announced reforms, legal solutions have been adopted which, he said, create opportunities for political influence and the politicization of the police.

“Through principles that do not belong in a country aspiring to join the European Union and NATO, you attempted to undermine the principle of the career system, with a law that seriously creates room for political influence and the politicization of the police, as in the period before 2017,” Bočvarski said.

He also stressed that experts, trade unions and professional circles had previously warned about the risks related to politicization, the lack of transparency and the undermining of the merit system in the Interior Ministry.

Bočvarski said that citizens have seen firsthand a serious deterioration in the country’s security situation. “In recent years, the public has witnessed a series of murders, attempted murders, armed clashes and other serious crimes that created a sense of insecurity among citizens,” he said.

He added that additional concern is caused by suspicions of the leaking of official secrets, affairs linked to people from the highest state circles, as well as cases that raise questions about the effectiveness of internal oversight in the Interior Ministry.

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