December 22 (SeeNews) - North Macedonia's prime minister Zoran Zaev submitted his resignation letter to the president of the country's assembly, Talat Dzaferi, on Wednesday, the government in Skopje said.
"I took this decision as a logical step that arises from the outcome of the local elections and as an expression of responsibility for the election results," Zaev said in the resignation letter posted by the government.
The local election results had a national political weight, Zaev said.
"In such conditions, for me personally and as a prime minister, because of the policies I believe in, because of the democratic and European values I believe in, it would be politically irresponsible and unjustified before my people and my country to continue to lead the government on its Euro-Atlantic road," Zaev added.
Zaev announced in late October that he was stepping down from the position of prime minister after his party, the ruling left-wing SDSM, suffered a defeat in the local elections.
Earlier in December, SDSM elected Dimitar Kovacevski its new chairman, who will also be the party's nomination for the position of prime minister following Zaev's resignation.
Zaev said earlier SDSM has reached an agreement with Afrim Fashi, chairman of small opposition ethnic Albanian party Alternative, for a new majority in parliament that would form the country's next government following his resignation.
SDSM has been trying to put together a new parliamentary majority since late October, as Besa, a junior partner in the current ruling coalition, withdrew its support for a new SDSM-led cabinet.
Zaev's coalition government comprising the SDSM-led coalition Mozeme and the Albanian Democratic Union of Integration (DUI) was voted into office in August 2020 by 62 members of the 120-seat parliament. Alternative holds four seats in parliament, while Besa has three.
Zaev also headed the preceding government, which was formed in 2017. During his mandate, the country changed its name from the Republic of Macedonia to North Macedonia. Skopje and Athens signed an agreement to change the name in June 2018. The agreement and the constitutional amendments related to the change in the name officially entered into force in February 2019, opening the way for North Macedonia to join NATO and the European Union.