The very fact that a Census is taking place after 20 years is a success in itself. We have conducted a Census that does not diverge from the tradition in the country, region and Europe over the past few decades. It is not the best census in the history of Europe but one that takes into account the highest EU standards, said President Stevo Pendarovski on Thursday.

Pendarovski bases this assessment not only on what he heard at yesterday’s presentation of the results, but also on the comments given by the expert hired by the EU.

Asked by journalists to comment on “those seven percent that caused the most controversy”, Pendarovski said that there is always controversy, especially in the Balkan region, where we are mixed in both religious and political terms. He stated that what he knows from conversations with several experts, there is no census in Europe and beyond, which does not have a certain number of people who are not included in the census.

Pendarovski also referred to the fact that there were census takers who were with specific equipment, observing all protocols, and some of them worked later in that time period and outside and did not enter the houses and apartments of the citizens.

But I guess that the call for a boycott, which was explicit by some parliamentary parties and the whole situation around Covid, contributed to some citizens not opening the doors of their homes, said the president.