Fresh out of the protracted process of amending the 2020 budget, which pushed the deficit to just under a billion – an unprecedented figure which drove the Macedonian public debt near 60 percent – the Zaev Government is now planning to put the 2021 budget before the Parliament.

Zaev has only 62 seats for his SDSM – DUI – BESA coalition and relied on the opposition to at least attend the Parliament session for the 2020 budget amendments. With members of Parliament sick with Covid or having various other engagements, it is likely that the ruling coalition will again have to turn to the opposition to hold the sessions. Economists were announcing significant growth in 2021, but that was before the major second wave of the coronavirus hit the country.