The Vanco Mihajlov association of Bulgarians from Bitola sent a letter to President Stevo Pendarovski in which they demand that the state ensures an end to attacks and hate speech against Bulgarians. The demands are expected to include that the Bulgarians in Macedonia get a say in the process of rewriting the Constitution, that they are considered a constituent nation of Macedonia and that the term Macedonian Bulgarians is used.

Pendarovski has not published the letter – the President is involved in a growing feud with Bulgaria as he hardens his rhetoric in the run up to the 2024 elections. Expres leaked its content, and in it the association demands that Pendarovski stops using the term minority when he refers to them, and that he stops labeling them as “fascists” – Pendarovski used this term with regard to Vanco Mihajlov, after whom the association named its club in Bitola.