If the Prime Minister Zoran Zaev is ready to hand over the chair of the Minister of Health Venko Filipce to the Secretary General of Alternative Bekim Sali, then an agreement will be easily reached on the personnel decisions and the entry of Afrim Gashi's party in the Government, he told "Free Press" A senior official from the opposition Alternative before today's third meeting between Zaev and Gashi for the consolidation of the ruling majority and the entry of Alternative into power.

It will depend on whether Alternative gets the health department and which other two ministries will be negotiated. The party remains in the position that in order to enter the Government, it will seek three ministerial, the same number of deputy ministerial positions and about 30 directorships. According to our interlocutor, at the previous meeting between Zaev and Gashi there were no remarks, nor did the Prime Minister reject Sali's proposal to replace Filipce.

- If Zaev after the talks with the government partners changes his position on the health department, it is possible that the negotiations will fail - says our source, but other officials from Alternative say that he will not insist on the health department at any cost.

Alternative expects Zaev, after consultations with DUI leader Ali Ahmeti and other coalition partners, to announce the departments they are ready to cede in order for Gashi's party to enter the government.

Open for negotiations, according to Alternative, are the Ministries of Transport and Communications, Information Society, Education, Labor and Social Affairs, Agriculture and Culture. Depending on which ministries Zaev will offer, the deputy ministerial positions will be tailored in the same way. Alternative remains on the position that the future government should be balanced, ie concessions for departments other than SDSM to make DUI and push the mandate to the end.

Unofficially, SDSM gives the ministries of education and culture. There is no confirmation whether Zaev is ready to give it up for health.

Deputy Minister of Finance Dimitar Kovacevski and candidate for leader of SDSM, who accompanies Zaev in the negotiations with Alternative, hopes that Alternative will make a positive decision and will become part of the government majority. Because, as he said, it will provide a stable government, which will be able to solve the big problems in the country, such as the pandemic, the European energy crisis and the maintenance of living standards.

So far, there is no official confirmation from DUI how many "their" positions they would give. First Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi said in an interview with Alsat that Alternative is welcome in power. Speaking about the personnel issues and the ministries that Alternative will take over if it becomes part of the government, he said that the final word will still have the leader Ali Ahmeti.

Today's meeting between Zaev and Gashi for a possible entry of Alternative in the Government is "committed" to the personnel decisions, after the previous part of the program part of the possible future cooperation was agreed in principle.