VMRO-DPMNE called on the Government to postpone the census for September. VMRO representative Antonio Milososki said that the party demands an urgent meeting of the Parliament where the census law will be amended due to the very difficult coronavirus situation.

We believe that the public healthcare condition does not allow us to hold a census. Ireland, Serbia, Germany, Croatia, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and many other countries postponed their censuses. They are trying to protect the health of their citizens, Milososki said, who previously announced that he will not allow census takers in his home unless they are vaccinated. A similar announcement was made by party leader Hristijan Mickoski.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who is under pressure from his Albanian coalition partners to force the “corona census” through, is now announcing that he will use the small batch of Astra Zeneca vaccines that he expects on Sunday to vaccinate the census workers. Mickoski and Zaev will meet on Monday, and it is expected that the census issue will be high on their agenda.

Zaev’s comment shows that he gives greater priority to this political operation than to the overall health of the population. Priority must be given to medical workers, the police, the elderly and the chronically ill. The Astra Zeneca vaccine that we are expecting requires two doses, 12 weeks apart, to provide immunity. Any other attempt to cut short this deadline will be politization of the vaccine process and improvisation, not immunization, Milososki said.