We must acknowledge that our state is anything but a free society, said VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski at a conference held today together with the Swedish Moderate Party and the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation.

The event is called to discuss freedom and free societies and I must acknowledge that our country is anything but. We have a captive state here. Just going back a few months, to the general elections, the Government used the state of emergency, abused state institutions to conduct bribery and stole the elections with direct buying of votes, Mickoski said. He added that the Government also pressured public administration employees and undercut media representation for the opposition to rig the elections.

Never the less, Mickoski called on the Swedish sister-party to help bring Macedonia closer to the EU and to overcome the veto currently placed by Bulgaria. “We also need you to note before the Macedonian Government that you see their abuses of our institutions and of our judiciary”, Mickoski added.