The leader of the Alliance for Albanians (AA), Arben Taravari, announced Monday that his faction is withdrawing from North Macedonia’s government, accusing coalition partners of failing to deliver on key promises made to the ethnic Albanian community.
“The Alliance’s leadership has decided tonight – we are leaving the government,” Taravari told reporters, citing what he described as systemic marginalization of Albanians and a lack of real support for pledged reforms.
At the center of the dispute is the government’s failure to pass a long-promised Law on Equitable Representation, which was supposed to replace the controversial “balancer” system used to allocate public sector jobs.
“They promised the law in November. It’s still not here. That says it all,” said Taravari, who added that the government had “lost its direction” on EU integration and lacked the will to implement meaningful change.
“We refuse to be puppets in a government that ignores our community’s interests,” he said.
Taravari said the Alliance will now focus on the upcoming local elections in October, predicting a “major victory.” He expressed openness to future coalitions but declined to name specific partners.
When asked about the recent absences of MP Selim Sulejmani and Deputy PM Arben Fetai, Taravari cited personal and official engagements abroad.
He added that the decision on possible early parliamentary elections rests with the opposition VMRO-DPMNE.
“Everyone is scrambling to get into government – we’re used to stepping out when necessary. We’re leaving to come back stronger, first locally, then nationally,” he said.
Coalition Rift Turns Personal
Taravari’s announcement sparked immediate backlash from within the broader VLEN coalition, with Democratic Movement leader Izet Mexhiti accusing him of betrayal and obstruction.
“You didn’t bring change – you blocked it,” Mexhiti wrote in a fiery social media post. “You’re not returning to the people. You’re returning to the blacklist.”
Mexhiti claimed Taravari failed to represent the party’s base and called him a “disappointment to every Albanian, worker or intellectual, man or woman.”
He urged disillusioned AA supporters to join VLEN, which he described as “the political compass of change.”
BESA Leader Calls Taravari a ‘Trojan Horse’
Bilall Kasami, head of the BESA movement and mayor of Tetovo, went further, accusing Taravari of sabotaging the government from within.
“Taravari played the role of a Trojan horse, constantly applying internal pressure to prevent results,” Kasami said in an interview with national broadcaster MRT1.
Asked about Taravari’s claim that 70% of Albanians are dissatisfied with the government’s performance, Kasami blamed the former minister for internal divisions.
“Before he joined, we spoke of unity. Afterward, it was all about positions and portfolios,” he said.
Kasami dismissed claims that the government had failed to advance Albanian rights, citing infrastructure investments such as Corridor 8 and local development projects.
He acknowledged delays in passing the equitable representation law but said Taravari’s demands had distracted from the reform agenda.
“Instead of pushing the law forward, we were busy trying to appease Taravari,” he said, adding that a finalized version of the law is expected to be unveiled in the coming days.
Kasami concluded by saying the real issue wasn’t in government but in VLEN’s internal struggles, which he said had derailed reform momentum over the past several months.
Following the 2024 parliamentary elections in North Macedonia, a significant political shift occurred, leading to the formation of a new government.
The elections held on May 8, 2024, resulted in a decisive victory for the nationalist-conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, led by Hristijan Mickoski. The party secured 58 out of 120 seats in the Assembly, falling just three seats short of an outright majority. The previous ruling party, the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), suffered a substantial defeat, obtaining only 18 seats—a significant drop from their previous standing. The Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), representing a major ethnic Albanian faction, also secured 18 seats. The VLEN coalition, another ethnic Albanian alliance, won 14 seats, while the left-wing nationalist party Levica and the new populist movement ZNAM each gained 6 seats .
On June 23, 2024, the Assembly approved a new government led by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski. The coalition comprises VMRO-DPMNE, the VLEN coalition, and ZNAM, collectively holding 78 seats, thus ensuring a stable majority in the 120-seat Assembly .
With Taravari’s departure, the government risks losing crucial parliamentary support from the Albanian bloc, potentially deepening instability ahead of scheduled local elections later this year.