VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski said that the opposition party insists on having early elections in the spring and again reiterated that VMRO will not support amendments to the Constitution that would add the Bulgarian nation in its preamble. He added that a large majority of members of Parliament from the ruling SDSM – DUI coalition actually support having early elections.

Absolutely, our request for early elections will not change. Elections are needed for Macedonia to move forward. Let us unite over this issue and let us all support early elections no later than the middle or the second half of May, Mickoski said following the Christmas service in the St. Clement of Ohrid cathedral in Skopje.

He would not name the likely defectors in SDSM – this allegation comes as there are growing reports that former SDSM leader Zoran Zaev will support the initiative in an attempt to pull the rug from under his successor Dimitar Kovacevski.

A huge majority of SDSM and DUI members of Parliament reflect the position that they also want early elections and an end to this Government. Given the nature of the DUI and SDSM rule, the managed judiciary and prosecution and the methods they are ready to use to keep power, I will not go further and name names. But their positions encourage us. We can vote to dissolve the Parliament in February, form a technical Government and have the vote in the second half of May, Mickoski said.

He added that three quarters of Macedonians oppose the proposed constitutional changes. “This would be treason and they (the Government) were supposed to think before they negotiated on this idea. They should have known that they are unable to deliver”, Mickoski added.