Following his return to Macedonia, Zoran Zaev did not disclose where he went for vacation, and only revealed he was travelling with his friends, leaving the family behind. Zaev missed the inauguration of Stevo Pendarovski as President, and his overall secrecy sparked rumors about the nature of this trip.

I was on a pre-planned vacation, I needed one. I was privately out of the country with friends and I had plenty of time to think about what comes next, Zaev told the press.