Mickoski says pensions rose 325% — government presents numeric comparison

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski presented a numerical comparison in Prilep, claiming that the average old-age pension rose far faster under his government's term than during the previous SDSM–DUI administration.

Government highlights month-by-month and first-two-year comparisons

At a press moment in Prilep Mickoski said the opposition had been reduced to spectacle and offered specific figures he described as precise. He framed the debate around average monthly increases and longer-term totals, asserting a clear gap between the two administrations.

He told reporters: "In these two years, in these 24-25 months, this Government has managed to increase the pension on average by 296 denars per month, while the previous Government in 83 months managed by 91 denars. When these two parameters are compared we come to 3,25 times more now than in the time of the Government of SDSM and DUI or that is mathematically precise – 325 percent."

Mickoski said he had limited the comparison to the first two years of each government. He then set out a second, longer comparison of identical 25–26 month spans covering June 2017 to June–July 2019.

He continued: "Let's compare the first 25-26 months of the previous government in the period June 2017 to June-July 2019 with these 25-26 months of this government, that is then the average old-age pension for the first 25-26 months of the previous government increased by as much as 540 denars. In these 25-26 months of the Government led by VMRO-DPMNE, the average old-age pension increased by something over 6 800 denars or, mathematically precisely, that is more than 12,5 times. That is the difference. Now, we are ready for this and to talk and to argue these data," he said.

The prime minister then cut his own remarks with a short question to the room: "Is everything all right?"

Photo: press material from the event