Wiretapping scandal set 26: Trading votes
Plenty of the conversations from this set are dedicated to Gostivar and the infringements of VMRO-DPMNE in this city. In the first conversation Vlatko Chingoski, director of ELEM, requests from Aleksandar Levkovski, director of Gostivar Hydro Power Plant (HPP), to provide a vehicle for the needs of the Municipal Committee (MC) of VMRO-DPMNE in Gostivar during the census. In doesn’t matter what kind of vehicle it is, with or without labels of ELEM, it can even be a vehicle belonging to the security company… Here, it becomes clear that VMRO-DPMNE misuses the state’s resources for party goals.
In the second conversation we find out about the party employments in the Mavrovo HPP, as Blagojche Trpeski, president of the Basic Organization (BO) of SDSM in Gostivar, explained in this press conference. People are employed upon the directive of the party – “not because they are beautiful”, even when they don’t have where to work. In the third conversation, between Vlatko Chingoski and Oner Jakuposki, THE director of the “Mavrovo” National Park, we witness how they search for a better working position for the president of the MC of VMRO-DPMNE in Debar, and there is also a reminder about the “level” that the order has to come from.
Then we hear the conversation between Nikola Gruevski and Mile Janakieski in which Gruevski instructs to find a way for the takeover of Radio Gostivar that has to be done by someone from the Union of Youth Force (UYF) of VMRO-DPMNE.
Next, we hear two conversations between Vlatko Chingoski and Sasho Akjimovski, an MP and president of MC of VMRO-DPMNE in Gostivar. In the first one we hear about the “application procedure” and how the members of VMRO-DPMNE are being employed in the institutions and public enterprises, which on the other hand, as we can hear, negotiates and “shares quotas” with DUI. That includes engaging volunteers in the state institutions, as well. By the way, the list of the people to be employed is delivered to the institutions by VMRO-DPMNE– the selection is not allowed in the institutions themselves. In the next conversation, Akjimovski complains that the list of volunteers for the local units of ELEM in Gostivar has more Albanians than Macedonians, and this will be a doom for the city. Chingoski admits that 28 people out of 150 were agreed to be members of DUI. At the end of the conversation, Chingoski reveals the whole truth – the engagement of the volunteers is only for the pre-election period, and that nobody from them will be employed afterwards.
In the following conversation led between Gordana Jankuloska and Sasho Mijalkov, we hear the Minister talking about “Indians” and “wild tribe” when she refers to the Albanians.
Afterwards, we hear three conversations related to the local elections. The first one is between Antonio Miloshoski and Darko Dimitrieski, former VMRO-DPMNE’s MP from Gostivar. He says that the VMRO-DPMNE’s councilor list is poor and lacks people with authority. In the second conversation, the same interlocutors reveal that during the elections in 2013, VMRO-DPMNE’s members received an order from Skopje, transferred via the MC of VMRO-DPMNE in Gostivar, to vote for DUI’s candidate for mayor, the current mayor of Gostivar, Nevzat Bejta. According to Dimitrieski, the real favorite at the local elections would be Rufi Osmani.
In the next conversation, which is in Albanian, we hear Fatmir Besimi from DUI confirming the haggling with VMRO-DPMNE so VMRO-DPMNE’s member will vote for DUI’s candidates in Tetovo and Gostivar. Besimi says that if VMRO-DPMNE had an arrangement with the Democratic Party of the Albanians (DPA) for Tetovo, DPA would have won the power in that city. We also hear that there was a reverse arrangement – DUI to “give votes” for VMRO-DPMNE in Karposh and Veles.
Afterwards, we hear eight conversations unveiling VMRO-DPMNE’s manipulations regarding the Law on State Defenders, which was not passed. In the first conversation, between Nikola Gruevski and Silvana Boneva, Gruevski says that he has an idea that occurred to him when he went to bed – to submit the Law on State Defenders in a Parliamentary procedure while they are in bad relations with DUI. Later, we find out that the motive behind the move is to “keep” this law as an ace for future haggling with DUI. “We’ll park it and we’ll wait for the moment when they’ll need something important, which we’ll have to fulfil anyway…” Gruevski says.
In the following conversation between Gruevski and Jankuloska, she says that the submission of the bill in the Parliament is “more like an effect for the public”, and Gruevski calculates the raise in the financial section, with a goal to cause a reaction and revolt from SDSM. In other words, he does everything, so VMRO-DPMNE’s draft law won’t be passed. Next, in the third conversation, Jankuloska makes a conclusion that it is possible for the law to be passed in the Parliament, so she suggests a consultation with Trajko Veljanoski. We hear that the law has real chances to be passed, due to the support of SDSM and other smaller parties, which is contrary to VMRO-DPMNE’s plan.
In the following two conversations, between Sasho Mijalkov and Musa Djaferi, we find out about the agreement between VMRO-DPMNE and DUI, which is to submit the law, but not to pass it. Then we hear the conversation between Sitel TV station’s owner and its editor-in-chief, in which both are puzzled by VMRO-DPMNE’s actions related to law, to recall it and then to submit it in an urgent procedure. We also hear that both are convinced that the monuments are being set up with no effect at all, i.e. nobody likes them. Then, Latas calls Martin Protugjer, and he persuades him that “everything is under control” and that the “MPs won’t vote” for the law at all. According to what Protugjer says, we see that the recalling of the law from the Parliamentary procedure and re-submitting it in an urgent procedure is actually a part from VMRO-DPMNE’s manipulation, to prevent SDSM to submit the same law in an urgent procedure. Afterwards, Latas calls Goran Ivanov to tell him that Protugjer assured him that everything “is under control”. However, he says he’s disquiet…
All of the “bombs” are here.
Press conference of Blagojche Trpeski, president of the Basic Organization of SDSM in Gostivar, in Gostivar, 25th of April 2015
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