North Macedonia’s parliament approves government

North Macedonia’s center-right leader secured parliamentary approval to lead a new coalition government in a vote late Sunday, Report informs via AP.

Hristijan Mickoski, 46, faces significant challenges in his four-year term in office — above all to advance the small Balkan NATO member’s lengthy efforts to join the 27-nation European Union.

At the same time, his VMRO-DPMNE party’s nationalist bent is antagonizing neighboring members of the affluent bloc, in stark contrast to the previous center-left government it defeated in May’s national elections.

A total 77 lawmakers in the 120-seat house voted in favor of the new government, and 22 voted against it. The remaining 21 lawmakers were absent during the ballot.

Mickoski’s VMRO-DPMNE-led coalition gained 43% of the vote on May 8, winning 58 seats — three short of a governing majority. Mickoski then struck a deal to form a government with an ethnic Albanian and a leftist party, which together have 20 seats.