SDSM: Mickoski celebrates an unchanged number — Fitch did not say people live better

The Social Democratic Union (SDSM) accused Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski of misrepresenting a credit-agency report, saying Fitch did not declare that citizens are living better under his government.

SDSM pointed out that "In 2024 the country's credit rating was BB+, and BB+ remains in 2026. That is not progress. That is the same," and argued that Mickoski is presenting an unchanged rating as a political victory and evidence of improved living standards.

Opposition: rating does not measure everyday costs

Party spokespeople stressed that the Fitch assessment focuses on macro indicators and risks, not retail prices or household well‑being. They said the agency continues to flag challenges such as the fiscal deficit, low productivity and demographic decline.

SDSM used pointed language to describe its view of the economy: "The state knocks more than it collects. It produces less value than it should. People are leaving. This is not an economic tiger. It is a warning in a footnote, and the bandit reads it as an anthem."

The party also argued that the rating says nothing about everyday expenses: "Citizens do not live inside Fitch's report. They live with ceiling‑high prices in the shop, supermarket, market. There prices go up. Fuel eats wages. Price rises do not wait for a rating. The minimum wage is not rising. And the strongest indicator is neither GDP nor BB+, but empty refrigerators and empty wallets. There is no better indicator than that," the statement said.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski rejected the criticism, saying positive assessments from international institutions undermine opposition claims of economic collapse. "For three years they have run a campaign that every year we were on the brink of bankruptcy, the budget had no money, the economy was regressing and so on. Answers are coming from all sides, from the World Bank, from the International Monetary Fund, now also from reputable credit agencies such as Fitch," he said.

Finance Minister Gordana Dimitrieska‑Kocoska posted on social media that Fitch's confirmation of the rating is "proof of successful economic policies and continuous growth." SDSM countered that if the rating is unchanged from 2024 while household costs have grown, the government cannot call that progress.

Photo: press material from the event