The leader of opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, Hristijan Mickoski, in an interview with Belgrade’s news outlet Politika addressed several questions about the current political situation in N. Macedonia and the region.
– The continuation of the European integration of Macedonia depends on the fulfillment of the Bulgarian condition, i.e. on the Franco-German proposal for the settlement of the dispute between the RNM and Bulgaria, which implies a further change of the Constitution of the RNM. Why do you disagree with changing the Constitution and demand extraordinary parliamentary elections?
“I shall say this again, we should direct our energy towards meeting European standards. This is our priority – because it will improve people’s lives and bring us closer to Europe. I believe in the mandate theory, which means that a party goes to elections with a program and promises to its voters, for which it will work in the coming period. In Macedonia, in the last elections, no one received a mandate to change the Constitution – no party presented this in its program. That’s why I think that early elections are the only way for citizens to say what they think and how they think Macedonia should move in the coming period. I would add that according to the latest survey of public opinion, about 60 percent of people are not satisfied with the work of the government and its policies. They are not satisfied with the economy, the rule of law and the fulfillment of European criteria. This is all the more so because we need to have elections to decide on a new government, which will receive a mandate from the citizens to solve problems and challenges. Otherwise, Macedonia is wasting time. If the elections are not held, we as a country will not see anything different from what we have been seeing for the last five or six years while this SDSM government is leading the country. That is why we need to have elections, a new mandate, a new government and a clear direction of the country towards a more secure future,” replied Mickoski.
