The Democratic Party of Turks in Macedonia (DPTM) today joined the VMRO-DPMNE led coalition. DPTM leader and member of Parliament Bejdzan Iljas will now join the ruling majority, bringing it to 59, and DPTM will also have a seat in the Government.
The increase of the ruling majority is not a reason to be self-satisfied or political privilege, but for us it means even greater obligation and duty toward the citizens, said Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.

Iljas added that his motivation to join the ruling majority was to advance the rights of the Turkish community in Macedonia.

DPTM was part of the DUI led coalition – the European Front. Iljas today said that he has broken the coalition agreement with DUI a full year ago and acted as an independent since then. This defection is another blow for DUI, which has a hard time adjusting to life in the opposition.