Mitko Bojmacaliev, an additional deputy interior minister, said on Monday during a visit to the Ohrid Internal Affairs Sector, the Lake Patrol Police, and the St. Naum border crossing that security in the region under the sector’s jurisdiction is good with a noted decline in crime and fatal auto accidents.

He said that he met with senior representatives of the Ohrid Internal Affairs Sector to discuss the ongoing campaign for the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Bojmacaliev declared, “We’ve had excellent communication with all political parties so far, and there have been no reports of disruption of the election process.” He also promised to keep the police and the parties in close contact. During his visit to Ohrid, the additional deputy minister stated that the Interior Ministry purchased six new boats in 2020, using funds from the Ministry’s budget and some donations from the Czech Republic. According to Bojmacaliev, “it had solved yet another problem related to border patrols of Lake Ohrid.”

When asked about the arrest of journalist Furkan Saliu yesterday, the additional deputy minister declined to comment further but acknowledged the public’s outrage.

We currently have a minister from a political party that has shut down TV stations and arrested journalists who have expressed their opinions in the past. I have nothing more to say than what was stated in the press release issued by the Interior Ministry, so the outrage is warranted. Bojmacaliev stated, adding that the internal control body of the Interior Ministry will look into the matter.