VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski blamed the Zaev regime for the dismal demographic and emigration data, as Macedonia was ranked among the countries with the highest “brain drain” levels in the world. The Economist placed Macedonia on a list with Yemen, Venezuela and Haiti, among the countries where the highest percentage of young, talented people are moving out.

Zoran Zaev once famously used brain drain instead of brain storm. But in reality, we see that Macedonia is a regional leader in actual brain drain – the loss of qualified people who are moving out of our country. It is the latest in the many disastrous results that were “achieved” lately, and were noted by renowned international institutions, Mickoski sad, referring to the listing of Macedonia as a hybrid regime and the Transparency International report where Macedonia dropped sharply due to its high corruption levels.

During his visit to Radovis, where businesses are feeling the lack of qualified employees, Mickoski pointed to other devastating results, such as the drop in industrial production of nearly 6 percent and the reduction in the GDP growth rate.

We face uncertainty and poor living standards, which is prompting many families to move out. We lost 200.000 people in just three years, and entire cities are emptying out, their inhabitants looking for work across Europe. The people are unhappy and strapped for cash, but most of all, they leave because they see no future here, Mickoski said.