The ZNAM movement, led by Kumanovo Mayor Maksim Dimitrievski, also proposed criminal charges against his political nemesis, former Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski.

Spasovski is charged with gross incompetence and negligence, over the horribly mismanaged process of issuing passports and identity documents with the imposed name “North Macedonia”. An estimated half a million of citizens, most of them from the capital Skopje and the diaspora, are left with passports that were declared invalid by the Government, and have no chance to renew them in the next few months, since Spasovski did not import enough blank passports.

Dimitrievski is also proposing charges against Spasovski because the Interior Ministry, which he has led since 2016, continued to issue passports and other identity documents with the name Republic of Macedonia until February 2021 – years after the imposed name change. This greatly increased the number of citizens who are now forced to renew relatively recent documents, which adds to the huge delays and waiting lines in the Skopje passport offices.

– Even though he knew that the documents carry the already invalid name, he continued to issue them, using blank documents that were not supposed to be in use. Also, he failed to procure the necessary blank documents in time, even though he was aware that the deadline when the documents will be declared invalid is approaching, ZNAM said in a statement.

According to the party, which was formed from disatisfied SDSM party members in Kumanovo, and stands to win several seats in Parliament at the coming elections, this is sufficient for charges of incompetence in performing a public office. Spasovski will likely lead the SDSM list in Kumanovo – his party is already losing badly in all districts across the country and the loss of its traditional stronghold of Kumanovo would add to its problems.