TIRANA – SDSM’s leader Zoran Zaev has considered as pressure an invitation made by DUI leader Ali Ahmeti for a joint meeting with party leaders of the Albanian block later in the week, said MIA news agency.
Ahmeti and Zaev had a meeting which took place after the invitation was made public by a press release issued by DUI on Monday, which proposed a joint round table of the Albanian parliamentary parties to be held on Friday.
“Yes, I see this as pressure on me, SDSM and the ‘We can’ coalition regarding DUI’s PM proposal,” Zaev told TV24.
SDSM also said in a press release it is continuing to have serious negotiations to form a stable parliamentary majority and a government coalition having a full, four-year stable mandate, adding that the new government will work hard to bolster economic standards, cleanse the judiciary and establish a strong legal state and rule of law.
In the meantime it is reported that Ahmeti spoke of the positive outcome of the meeting with Zaev in an effort to approximate positions.
“We are investing in the issue of Albanians, we are heading in the right direction and doing this for the country, because it will benefit stability and bring communities closer,” Ahmeti told reporters.
He has informed VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski of the DUI-SDSM winner-winner negotiations.
On the issue of an Albanian PM, which was DUI’s pre-election promise, Ahmeti said, “we are as close as we are far away, but all sides must take into account the country’s overarching interests.”
After the July 15 early parliamentary elections a new Parliament was sworn in last week and there is a ten-day deadline for forming a parliamentary majority which the President should hand over a mandate for the formation of the new government. The PM-designate has 20 days to form a government and submit a government program to Parliament./argumentum.al
