North Macedonia’s parliament approves a new center-right government after May’s election

By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES
Associated Press

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia’s center-right leader Hristijan Mickoski has secured parliamentary approval to lead a new coalition government. Mickoski faces significant challenges in his four-year term in office. Above all it’s to advance the small Balkan NATO member’s long 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, Greece and Bulgaria. A total 77 lawmakers in the 120-seat house voted in favor of the new government, and 22 voted against. The remaining lawmakers were absent during the ballot.