Macedonia approves caretaker government ahead of early vote

Macedonian lawmakers have formally approved a caretaker government that will lead the country into early national elections December 11, in a new bid to end a 20-month political crisis.

Emil Dimitriev, from the ruling conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, will serve as caretaker prime minister for the second time this year.

Previously agreed election dates this year, on April 24 and June 5, were canceled.

Parliament agreed today that opposition politicians will hold the interior and labor portfolios.

Macedonia has been in political turmoil since February 2015, following a massive wiretapping scandal in which the conversations of more than 20,000 people were monitored.
 

The country's two main parties traded blame for the wiretaps.

The heads of the country's four biggest parties had agreed on December elections on Wednesday.