Parties clash after man shouted at Prime Minister in Tashmarunista — dispute over whether he had a Bulgarian or Macedonian ID
VMRO‑DPMNE says a man showed Bulgarian documents when police identified him; SDSM says the person is S.G., born 1974 in Kocani, and holds a Macedonian ID.
Yesterday, during Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski's visit to the village of Tashmarunista in the Ilinden municipality, an incident occurred in which a person allegedly shouted at the prime minister and was subsequently identified by police.
VMRO‑DPMNE said that, during the police check, the person produced a Bulgarian identity card and a Bulgarian travel document, and described the episode as an attempted provocation.
SDSM rejected that account and said the individual — identified by initials S.G. — is a Macedonian citizen. The party’s statement reads:
"It is not true. The person (S.G. — born 1974 in Kocani) is a Macedonian citizen and has a Macedonian ID card. A simple, classic lie by VMRO‑DPMNE. With Mickoski everything is a lie. The dissatisfaction among Macedonian citizens is huge, because of the catastrophic economic situation, water poisoning, the country's isolation and Mickoski's daily lies. Yesterday, on Statehood Day, he again called the people 'sediment'. Today they repeat it again in a statement. So who spreads division and hatred in Macedonia? Mickoski. Who has foreign agents in the Government? Mickoski. And it was not just anyone — until yesterday the second person in the Government, today a minister who controls all local self‑governments. A man of Vučić, a man of foreign services," says SDSM.
Political dispute over the facts
The prime minister visited Tashmarunista accompanied by VMRO‑DPMNE general secretary Dragan Kovachki and posted photos from the trip; parties have issued conflicting versions of what happened and why.
VMRO‑DPMNE and SDSM have framed the episode to support their respective narratives: one party emphasizes a provocation involving alleged foreign documents, the other calls it an example of what it describes as lies and divisive rhetoric by the prime minister. The identity and documentation of the person remain contested between the parties.
Photo: press material from the event
