VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski blasted Zoran Zaev for using the name North Macedonia in his remarks today and called that the Parliament is dissolved on Monday and that early elections are held in spring, along with the regularly scheduled presidential elections.

Like the majority of our citizens, I followed Zoran Zaev’s press conference with a sense of grief. Only somebody like Zaev, a politician who received a pardon for serious crimes, with major scandals to his name, can say he is proud that he changed the name and the identity of his country. Zoran Zaev swore in his fathers and grandfathers that he will not touch our centuries old name but now he says he is proud to address us as the Prime Minister of North Macedonia. He renamed his country even before this treaty entered into force. For shame, said Mickoski.

Mickoski said that there is an established process to hold early elections, which includes the resignation of the Prime Minister and key ministers and the incorporation of opposition candidates to these positions over a period of three months ahead of the elections. He asked that the Parliament is dissolved immediately, so that the early general elections can be held along with the presidential elections in spring.

These won’t be elections in order to win positions in the Government. These would be elections held so that we stop the losses Macedonia is enduring. VMRO-DPMNE is not afraid and we call on SDSM to come out to the polls. We will see whether Zoran Zaev and the group around him really enjoy the support they claim, Mickoski said.

Asked today about the option to hold early general elections, Zaev said that he will take it under consideration and it will be up to his SDSM party to decide.