UNDP found Macedonia to be ranked worst in the Balkans in its Human development index. The report ranked Macedonia 82nd in the world, and dead last in the region, which has Slovenia 24th, Greece 32nd, Serbia 63rd, Albania 69th and Bosnia 75th.

The index ranks countries based on their economy, education, life expectancy, healthcare, gender rights and other criteria. Even President Stevo Pendarovski, who chaired the presentation of the report in Skopje, said that it shows how Macedonia must “take serious steps soon, lest it wants to turn into an exporter of employees for other countries”. Cuba, Iran and Algeria ranked better than Macedonia, which dropped one place compared to the last year’s report.

This is the truth about Macedonia which you won’t see in the expensive ads produced by SDSM. In 2016 Zoran Zaev promised that Macedonia will be a country of equal opportunity for all. Three years later, we are at the end of the UNDP report in both Europe and the region. There are no equal opportunities with a Prime Minister who comes from the richest political family in the Balkans, while the people are struggling for bread. There are no equal opportunities when the Government is engaged in racketeering and the Foreign Minister award an ambassadorship to the person who decided on his daughter’s scholarship so she can study abroad. The system is rotten and nepotism is multiplying. Zaev is creating a divided society, said opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski in his response to the UNDP report.

The UNDP report coincided with the publication of the Economist report showing Macedonia with the third worst youth unemployment level in the world.