Skopje, the government intends to dissolve the Judicial Council and Prosecutors

2024-07-06 22:31:49, Kosova & Bota CNA

Skopje, the government intends to dissolve the Judicial Council and Prosecutors

The Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickovski. Source, VOA

The Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickovski, aims to dissolve the Judicial Council and the Prosecutor's Council, which he says do not have the trust of the citizens and only represent a burden on the state budget. However, the international community assesses that this approach represents interference in the activity of the judiciary, as it calls on the government in Skopje for the reforms to be implemented through dialogue and cooperation with international partners. Among other things, these councils approve and can dismiss judges, court presidents or prosecutors from office.

The intentions of the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickovski, to abolish the Republican Council of the Judiciary and that of the Prosecutors, have met with the displeasure of some Western diplomats and experts in the country.

Mr. Mickovski estimates that these bodies of justice do not trust the people and represent a burden on the state budget. However, the international community, in particular the ambassadors of the USA and the European Union in Skopje, do not want the dissolution of these Councils, while they have called the government's idea an intervention in the judicial power. The ambassadors suggest the continuation of reforms in the judiciary of North Macedonia.

However, Prime Minister Mickovki has accused Western diplomats of being the ones who are interfering in the internal affairs of North Macedonia, as he has been asked to offer real solutions and advice that would benefit the reforms. of the judiciary. The Macedonian Prime Minister, meanwhile, says that the Judicial Council and the Prosecutors' Council have a reliability of two percent.

"If I had a reliability of only two percent, I would be ashamed and leave the job I do", he emphasizes.

The reforms, according to the head of the government in Skopje, provided for "responsibility and accountability and the removal of comfortable armchairs".

The EU ambassador in Skopje, David Geer, said that the engagement with the government and other bodies of the system will continue to discuss the best ways on the necessary reforms in the judiciary. "We want a constructive dialogue and relationship," he told reporters in Skopje.

"We have the same goals regarding the membership of this country in the European Union as soon as possible", said Ambassador David Geer.

The members of the affected Councils say that these bodies have been positively evaluated by international institutions and if there is any kind of irregularity in their work, responsibility should be sought from individuals and not from the entire Council.

However, public opinion's confidence in the rule of law remains low. In surveys by international institutes, such as IRI, about 65 percent of respondents think that the rule of law is not applied fairly and equally; an issue that, according to experts, should be of concern to the authorities and political institutions in North Macedonia./ VOA