Mickoski rejects Filipche's criminality claims: "There isn't a shred of it"
During a heated questions session, the prime minister dismissed accusations of criminal links and illicit transfers and accused the opposition of politicized attacks.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski firmly rejected allegations from Venko Filipche during a heated parliamentary questions session, calling the accusations unfounded and accusing the opposition of political hysteria.
Heated exchange in Parliament
Venko Filipche, leader of SDSM, accused Mickoski of having criminal ties to Viktor Orbán and Aleksandar Vučić and suggested there could have been financial transfers from Serbia to North Macedonia, saying he had recently seen documents related to those suspicions.
From the floor Filipche demanded that the prime minister keep pledges on restoring the country's name, annulling the Prespa Agreement and changing the treaty with Bulgaria and the negotiated framework.
Filipche also charged the government with selling off state land by opening mines and warned that if such procedures begin citizens will mount strong resistance and form a "living wall" against them.
Responding to the accusations, Mickoski dismissed them as lies and political hysteria and defended his administration's record, saying the government had achieved a victory in the international arbitration over Kazandol and that the state would incur no costs, while the antimony project in Luke enjoys local support.
"I want to say, esteemed Prime Minister, but I cannot. I respect the office, but not you. You use various propaganda mechanisms, fake campaigns, smearings, discreditations; you create space for political attacks on your political opponents, but also on people close to you who don't work the way you dictate. You missed the profession — you would make a good editor of Informer or of Kolegium," said Venko Filipche, MP and president of SDSM.
"In these six months there isn't a shred of the criminality you accuse me of, but rather confirmation that this government has done a good deed for this country. You accused me of transferring drugs, money, and all sorts of things — I even heard that I'm an idiot and who knows what else. I will not stoop to that level and answer you; I think you don't deserve it. That's something you learn in the first seven years, and you were obviously frustrated then. My first seven years were happy," replied Hristijan Mickoski, prime minister.
The session continued with further mutual accusations following those exchanges.
Photo: press material from the event
