Mickoski: If opposition seeks early elections, we will respond — and win
The prime minister said his coalition has a four-year mandate but will not shy away from elections and remains open to talks on constitutional fixes and minority rights.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said he will not avoid a request from the opposition for early elections and expressed confidence his coalition would win if polls are called.
Asked before the start of the Ambassadors' Council about calls for snap elections, Mickoski stressed that citizens want reforms and continuity, while insisting the governing performance so far compares “3:1” with the previous administration.
Responding directly to the prospect of early polls, he said: "As a coalition we have received legitimacy from the citizens to be a government for four years, but if the opposition thinks that early elections are needed, of course we as 'cowards' will not sit aside; instead we will respond to that request positively and, of course, we will win."
Talks on constitutional changes and cross-border minority rights
Mickoski also addressed whether delayed-effect constitutional amendments have been brought back onto the agenda as a way to resolve the dispute with Bulgaria, and whether there will be post-holiday talks with the opposition to overcome the deadlock in Parliament created by the so-called Baderthau majority.
"Politics is based on dialogue; I am one of those politicians who wants to talk until a solution is reached. In both the first and the second case we will continue to talk. Of course, we know our red lines and within those red lines we will try to find a solution for both the first issue and the second," he said, underlining willingness to negotiate while defending the government's positions.
On remarks by Bulgarian President Rumen Radev that he supports EU enlargement but calls for fulfilment of obligations and protection of Bulgarians in North Macedonia, Mickoski said the Constitution already provides strong protection for all citizens. He added that while Bulgaria has ratified commitments to respect human rights, registration of associations of the Macedonian community in Bulgaria — such as OMO Ilinden-Pirin — has repeatedly been obstructed despite a number of rulings from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
He said no meeting at any level has yet been initiated but that he is ready to talk when talks are likely to produce results. "I am prepared at any moment to talk, but a meeting just for the sake of a meeting that produces no effect is not something I favour; I am not fond of wasting either my time or his. I expect diplomatic efforts to bring the positions of the two sides closer first, and if there is a chance for such rapprochement, then I am absolutely prepared," Mickoski said.
Photo: press material from the event
