North Macedonia elects Albanian as caretaker PM

Talat Xhaferi reacts on the day the North Macedonian parliament voted him as the first Albanian prime minister since the country became independent in Skopje, North Macedonia, January 28, 2024.REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

SKOPJE (Reuters) - North Macedonia's parliament elected Talat Xhaferi to head a caretaker government on Sunday, the first time an Albanian has held the position, and he will lead the country until general elections scheduled for early May take place.

Xhaferi served as the speaker in parliament before he was nominated by the ruling government coalition to become prime minister. The current government's main task is to secure fair and free elections.