VMRO-DPMNE presidential candidate Gordana Siljanovska called the SDSM led Government for failing in its promise to stop the exodus of young Macedonians from the country, and actually intensifying it instead.

The most frequently asked question, as far as our dearest ones are concerned, is if we can stop them from leaving. This is the question I hear all the time. the statistics are awful, 58 percent of the young say they are leaving the country because they can’t recognize a perspective here, there is no life for them here, and those who won power promising life are not only failing to provide them with a proper life, but are putting the lives of all of us staying here in jeopardy, Siljanovska said.

During its Colored revolution, the SDSM party campaigned heavily on the promise that it would reverse the emigration of young people from Macedonia. The promise is now mostly seen as a cynical ploy to help them win elections by playing at emotions of parents and grandparents who saw their children and grandchildren leave.