Mickoski: Citizens pay the bills while former officials sail on expensive yachts

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, speaking after a visit to the company TESSA Energy, accused the opposition of defending the administrations of Zoran Zaev and Dimitar Kovacevski instead of apologizing for their record. He said the financial consequences of the previous governments' policies are now falling squarely on citizens.

Addressing remarks by SDSM leader Venko Filipche, Mickoski said: "I regret that SDSM again misses the opportunity to apologize for all those wrong, criminal, bandit, anti-national policies of those two governments which SDSM today comes out in public and defends, namely the government of Mr. Zaev and Mr. Kovacevski. Instead of apologizing and withdrawing from everything they have done, they still promote it."

Critique of past management and current contrast

Mickoski told reporters that a large majority of the population shares his view about the poor handling of past crises and that Macedonians do not want to see such administrations again. He framed his criticism as a defence of citizens who, he said, are left to cover the costs of past mistakes.

The prime minister highlighted what he called a stark contrast between the daily reality of ordinary people and the lifestyle of some former officials. "While citizens pay the expensive bills for their irresponsible handling of the state, former authorities enjoy exotic destinations, ride on luxury yachts and party with Balkan music stars," he said.

Mickoski also directly challenged SDSM and Filipche for publicly defending those previous governments rather than offering apologies for policies he described as damaging. The comments came during his on-site visit to TESSA Energy, where he responded to journalists' questions about the political exchange.

Photo: press material from the event