VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski called for early elections to be held without delay and for an urgent meeting of political leaders to discuss the newfound situation after the European Union failed to allow the opening of accession talks for Macedonia.

This decision is a defeat, but it is not a defeat for the Macedonian citizens. It is a defeat for the policies pursued by Zoran Zaev and his Government. His policies lacked a concept, a vision, but had plenty of crime, corruption and fraud in them. The citizens are justified in feeling that he pushed us into an endless circle of self-denial, concessions, humiliations, and all that is now topped with failure, Mickoski said.

Mickoski insisted that joining the EU needs to remain a strategic goal for Macedonia and called on the citizens not to direct their disappointment in the wrong direction, and to realize that the failure is the result of Zaev’s policies.

I will not continue the game of finger pointing, but we also can’t disguise the failure. We need to come out stronger and wiser from this failure. Macedonia is a European country and joining the EU is our common goal, Mickoski added.

VMRO-DPMNE calls on Zaev to resign and a technical Government is formed to conduct elections in spring. Mickoski called for an urgent meeting of the leaders of the main political parties and, when a similar proposal came from President Pendarovski, said that he will accept his invitation.

This Government will be replaced and sink into oblivion. Everybody can see that. The people demand early elections, and that is the only logical and desirable solution to overcome the crisis, this unbearable situation. No matter how much he resists, Zoran Zaev is near his political end. In the following period we will require urgent reforms and VMRO-DPMNE will present a plan to implement them as soon as possible, in consultation with experts and our own resources, Mickoski said.