The main opposition party SDSM has filed criminal charges against Health Minister SashoKlekovski, Public Health Institute director MarijaAndonovska, State Sanitary and Health Inspectorate director KirilLazov, and Tetovo Public Health Center director ShpendiAmeti. SDSM claims that there are well-founded suspicions that in the period from June 2026 to the present, the competent institutions have not taken appropriate measures to protect the health of citizens and prevent the consequences of water pollution.
“More than a month has passed, the entire city of Gostivar was poisoned with polluted water. Almost 5,000 citizens ended up in hospital. A health catastrophe and a total collapse of institutions. There has been no responsibility from the government, from health institutions so far. From no one. And there is no clean water in Gostivareither,”SDSMsaid in a press release Monday.
The opposition party believes that the reactions of the authorities were delayed and that citizens had been using water for weeks that was later linked to the emergence of health problems. The party also criticized the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO), demanding faster action and determination of possible accountability among all involved in the case.
