SDSM is the creator of our crises, and they can’t put the whole blame on external factors, on Russia and the events in Ukraine, said VMRO-DPMNE spokeswoman Marija Miteva, as Macedonia faces a major energy crisis and a growing food supply crisis.

The Government failed to tackle the first crisis – the healthcare crisis, when columns of vehicles with our citizens had to drive to Serbia to obtain vaccines, while Government officials were chasing provisions from the vaccine contracts. In April 2021 they hiked the gas excise tax. We are urging them to cut it by half given the growing crisis, but the Government is postponing its decisions. Citizens expect it to act as soon as possible. They reacted in the heating crisis in Skopje only after heat supplies were cut. In the energy crisis, SDSM were caught stealing electricity from the Europe wide network, Miteva said.

The Government is expected to announce a cut in the excise tax by a third – VMRO wants it cut in half – cuts in the energy and food taxes.