Elections need to be held on June 5, said the technical Prime Minister Emil Dimitriev, who leads the Government that is tasked with preparing the early parliamentary elections.
Dimitriev was asked whether it is legally possible to delay the elections, when the opposition SDSM party announced it will not participate.
"First of all, I'm not sure that it is even legally possible to move the date of the elections again. Further, from a pragmatic point of view and postponing the elections, prolonging the duration of this technical Government will have repercussions on the daily functioning of our institutions. It is in the interest of the prosperity of the Republic of Macedonia and of all our citizens to hold the elections on June 5 and to form a stable Government which will then assume all its usual functions", Prime Minister Dimitriev said, at the ceremony set to honor the eight police and army special forces members who were killed in the 2001 insurgency.
Dimitriev added that all conditions to hold the elections have been met.
The Prime Minister said that cooperation with the State Election Commission is going well, and that it is meeting its deadlines regarding the revision of the voting registry and preparing the election calendar.
Speaking together with Defense Minister Zoran Jolevski, Dimitriev said that the Government is preparing for a major push in army-related investment.
Dimitriev said that this will include procurement of equipment, refurbishment of helicopters, transportation and armored vehicles.
"This will be done in accordance with the NATO standards. There is a trend of economic recovery following the global financial crisis and the European debt crisis, so we can enter a new cycle of investment. Our military enjoys a great deal of respect in the public, and we are grateful for all they are doing to deal with the migrant crisis, and with the international missions it is a part of", Dimitriev said.