Following last month’s parliamentary election, the new government of Macedonia was been approved by the new legislature.

The outgoing coalition of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO–DPMNE) and the Albanian Democratic Union for Integration has been returned. As before, there is also a member of the Socialist Party. (The Socialist Party is part of the VMRO–DPMNE alliance).

The Macedonia Information Agency is reporting that 70 deputies voted for the new government and 40 opposed it. These figures confuse me. The opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) has 42 seats. However, the MIA report states that the Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA), which has 8 seats, also voted against the government. So, it seems as if the opposition was not totally united.