Vučić’s fall puts relations with Hristijan Mickoski at centre of party attacks in North Macedonia

The opposition SDSM has asked whether the recent fall of Aleksandar Vučić in Serbia will trigger investigations into his connections with Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski. From a press centre in Bihać, SDSM voiced suspicions about a number of allegedly dubious business deals, naming transactions related to electricity and meters and the Sky platform, and raising questions about friendly ties with Viktor Orban.

VMRO-DPMNE replied sharply, calling the claims lies that, in their words, are believed only in Bihać. The party also reminded voters of SDSM’s past relations with Vučić while SDSM was in government, saying that people close to Vučić had at times served as advisers to former prime minister and SDSM leader Zoran Zaev, and noting that Zaev, together with Venko Filipche, had waited for vaccines from Vučić.

Political reverberations at home and in Belgrade

The downfall of Vučić in Serbia has become one of the most talked-about developments in the region, and Macedonian politicians are using the moment to put the issue of cross-border ties at the centre of domestic debate. Observers in Skopje are watching to see whether the Serbian political shift will change the tone or substance of bilateral cooperation between two neighbouring countries that maintain generally good relations.

In Serbia itself, attention has turned not only to how the new government will be formed — now that the distribution of parliamentary mandates is known — but also to who might be chosen as a new public prosecutor and whether that could lead to new cases or indictments connected to previous leadership.

Back in North Macedonia, party exchanges continue to focus on the Vučić episode, with each side using the developments to question the other’s foreign contacts and past conduct. Questions remain open while political events in Belgrade continue to unfold.

Photo: press material from the event