SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Macedonian lawmakers have fallen short of votes needed to expel former conservative prime minister Nikola Gruevski as a member of parliament, complicating a corruption case against him.
Parliament voted 58-29 Friday to revoke Gruevski’s mandate, but failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the 120-seat assembly.
The 48-year-old politician served as prime minister from 2006 to 2016 and is currently a parliament member of the main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party.
Gruevski was sentenced in May to two years in prison for unlawfully influencing Interior Ministry officials over the purchase of a luxury vehicle at an estimated cost of 600,000 euros ($680,000).
Insight by HighPoint Global: Federal practitioners provide examples of the digital customer experience in this exclusive executive briefing.
He has appealed the decision and has requested that the prison sentence be deferred, citing parliamentary duties.
It was unclear how Friday’s vote would affect Gruevski’s fate.
Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
