Petrushevski: Filipche said "Macedonia is not for sale" after he and Zaev sold the name

VMRO-DPMNE MP Brane Petrushevski accused Health Minister Filipche on Saturday of lying to citizens when he said "Macedonia is not for sale," and said the minister had already "sold the name" together with former prime minister Zoran Zaev.

In a party statement summarising Petrushevski’s press conference, VMRO-DPMNE said Filipche was trading away national identity and the language to win power, and that his ambitions were driven purely by personal gain and corruption.

Sharp accusations and concrete claims

Petrushevski listed a series of alleged benefits that, he said, Filipche demanded in return for favours: luxury cars, commissions and inflated contracts. According to the statement, the minister ‘‘wants to receive an Audi Q8 from companies whose tenders he rigs, wants a 20% commission from the construction of modular hospitals, and wants to profit on COVID vaccines by selling them at three times the price.’’

Those remarks were presented as a direct quote from Petrushevski and were aimed at questioning Filipche’s motives for seeking office. VMRO-DPMNE added that neither the party nor citizens would allow what it described as the minister’s corrupt practices.

The party’s statement framed the minister’s earlier declaration that "Macedonia is not for sale" as dishonest because, it argued, Filipche had already made concessions over the country’s name together with Zoran Zaev. The accusations conflate matters of national identity with alleged personal corruption.

Filipche did not respond in the party text; the statement was issued by VMRO-DPMNE after Petrushevski’s media appearance. The allegations have not been independently verified in this summary.

Photo: press material from the event