North Macedonia: Albanian Health Minister’s Party Withdraws from Government

The Albanian party ‘Alliance for the Albanians,’ led by Health Minister Arben Taravari, has decided to withdraw from the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Christian Mitskoski in North Macedonia. Taravari proposed to his party’s leadership the resignation of the two ministers (Health and Good Governance), two deputy ministers, and public organization directors affiliated with the ‘Alliance for the Albanians.’ This unanimous decision will see their official resignations submitted in the coming days. Last month, the ‘Alliance for the Albanians’ also left the Albanian coalition VLEN (It Matters) participating in the country’s government. The ‘Alliance for the Albanians’ holds five seats in the 120-member parliament of North Macedonia. While losing these five seats would reduce the government’s parliamentary support from 78 to 73 members, it still maintains a comfortable majority. Taravari criticized the government for losing its path towards Brussels, stating that the European journey remains stagnant and the country is making no progress. He emphasized the increasing marginalization of Albanians in the public sector and accused the government of failing to honor its promises. Reports suggest Taravari is ready to collaborate with the opposition and larger Albanian party, DUI led by Ali Ahmeti, ahead of October’s local elections, sparking tensions within the government. Prime Minister Mitskoski warned any party aligning with DUI would violate coalition principles and automatically lose its place in the government. The three remaining Albanian parties in the VLEN coalition accuse Taravari of choosing to work with the ‘corrupt’ DUI. DUI welcomed the ‘Alliance for the Albanians’ decision, arguing VLEN no longer represents Albanian interests, who constitute 25% of the population. Historically, one or more Albanian parties have always participated in Macedonian governments to maintain ethnic balance. Political analysts in Skopje suggest if Taravari collaborates with Ahmeti, VLEN risks becoming a marginal political entity unable to represent Albanian interests, potentially leading to early parliamentary elections.