In the absence of the opposition, the meeting at which the new Parliament was constituted and at which Trajko Veljanoski was reelected Parliament Speaker took place on Saturday. Although SDSM and RDK said they refused to accept the legislative seats they won in the 27 April vote, the Parliament verified the terms of office of all 123 MPs, thus dismissing SDSM’s statements verified by a notary and provided to the State Election Commission as invalid. SDSM later dubbed this act as “another evidence of the arbitrariness, violence and arrogance of the government.”

Parliament Speaker Veljanoski, who was reelected with 87 votes in favor and no votes against and no abstentions, said in his address that state unity was necessary and appealed to the MPs of the opposition to honor the Constitution and return to Parliament.

The meeting was also attended by President-elect Gjorge Ivanov, the President of the Constitutional Court, Elena Goseva, Prosecutor General Marko Zvrlevski, the President of the 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly, Srgjan Kerim, as well as by representatives of the diplomatic corps, including US Ambassador Paul Wohlers and EU Ambassador Aivo Orav.