DUI accuses VLEN of enabling 'Serbian world' influence; VREDI fires back over ‘eternal seats’

DUI accused the VLEN coalition of allowing growing influence of the so‑called "Serbian world" in North Macedonia after entering government, pointing to the presence of Ivan Stoilkovic in the cabinet, closer ties to Milorad Dodik's political networks and energy-sector agreements with firms connected to his interests.

The party highlighted that for two consecutive years the European Parliament's report has registered concern about the expansion of "Serbian world" influence in the Republic of North Macedonia and singled out officials from the ruling camp as promoters of these policies. DUI also warned about an increasing footprint of Serbian banking capital in the country, calling it a mosaic that cannot be ignored.

DUI further charged that a parallel process of "systematic erosion of the Ohrid Framework Agreement" is underway through Constitutional Court rulings and government policies, and argued the cabinet lacks ethnic legitimacy. According to DUI, VLEN is not merely an observer in this process but acts as a "camouflage, relativiser and co‑author" of policies that damage collective Albanian rights.

VREDI's rebuttal

VREDI answered with a blistering statement in which it labelled DUI contemptuously "the undemocratic union for disintegration" and accused the party of treating the Albanian cause as hostage to its own positions and offices. VREDI's statement insisted that DUI's approach is transactional: either keep the chairs or stop everything.

In a passage from VREDI's response they wrote: "DUI does not defend the Albanian cause, but holds it hostage. Their logic is simple. Either they will sit in the armchairs or they will stop everything. If they are in power, everything is perfect for them. If they are not, suddenly nothing matters. Well, that movie no longer plays. But let's clear one thing. Albanians do not owe eternal rule to the armchair‑holders from Mala Rechica. They do not owe them ministers, nor directors, nor tenders. And least of all did they give them the right, just because they lost their armchairs, to block the Law on Fair Representation and to destroy the Ohrid Framework Agreement. For 25 years they had both the knife and the loaf, but they did not find the time to protect this right with law. Tenders, personal enrichment and shady deals mattered more to them. Now, when someone else completes the job, out of despair they grab at a straw and threaten to paralyze the entire Assembly. DUI cannot forgive Albanians for sending it into opposition, and now it is taking revenge by blocking the Law on Fair Representation. Albanians are not anyone's party prey, and their rights are not tokens for political bargaining. The Ohrid Framework Agreement is not a deed of ownership for Ali Ahmeti nor for his eternal armchair‑holders. It belongs to the citizens and no one has the right to hold it hostage out of a vain desire for power."

The exchange reflects rising tensions inside the ethnic Albanian political field and a wider debate about external influence, minority rights and the durability of post‑conflict arrangements. Both sides framed their claims as defence of the community's interests while accusing the other of putting private or partisan advantage above legal and constitutional safeguards.

Photo: press material from the event