Macedonia's president calls on SDSM leader to guarantee unity

Macedonia's President Gjorge Ivanov expected to see Macedonian Social Democratic Union (SDSM) leader Zoran Zaev to meet his announcement to offer guarantee jointly with the coalition partners to strengthen the nation's unity, local media reported Wednesday.
Reports citing sources from President's office said that Ivanov refused to give Zaev the mandate when the SDSM leader first announced he had secured the parliamentary majority with the support of three ethnic Albanian parties.
The president argued that the SDSM-led coalition platform hampered the country's unity and sovereignty. Ivanov also asked Zaev to renounce the platform before he asked for the mandate.
After the rejection, Zaev assured the public that the platform he had presented to Ivanov only focused on reforms needed to push Macedonia towards European Union integration.
Meanwhile, the newly elected Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi on Tuesday informed the President that there was a declared SDSM-led majority in the Parliament.
Upon this, the President has ten days to mandate the new government. But the SDSM said in a press statement Wednesday that the President didn't need the ten days stipulated by the constitution in order to give the mandate.
"President George Ivanov should mandate the leader of SDSM party Zoran Zaev to form the new government as soon as possible," SDSM said in the statement, adding that Zaev was ready to reaffirm the program of the new government, which defended unity.
But sources from the president's office said President Ivanov remained on the position that neither the so-­called Tirana platform, or any other document or action that are contrary to the Constitution could be used as a precondition to form a government.

source: Xinhua