Zoran Zaev added the completion of the census as a main talking point in his pre-election rallies. During his event in Veles this evening, he spoke about how his Government delivered on NATO membership and completed a census after almost two decades – even though the operation showed that Macedonia has lost a significant number of its citizens and was marred by the controversial decision to count emigrants among the residents.

The census is a major success. We are no longer walking around in fog, but we have clear and precise data to base our future policies on. In one hand we have a successful census, and in the other – our NATO membership. We are now the safest country with the highest level of transparency in the region, a country that is a friend of the region and of Europe, Zaev insisted.

The 2011 census was cut short after it became clear that ethnic Albanian emigrants are being counted among the residents, inflating the Albanian share of the population. Zaev agreed to have the Albanian emigrant community counted online and added to the census from the start, which sparked a boycott among the ethnic Macedonian diaspora.