SDSM accuses Finance Minister Gordana Dimitrieska‑Kochoska of manipulating public‑debt data
SDSM says public debt rose by over €300m to €11bn in September, but the share of GDP fell from 58.8% to 56.6%, and accuses the ministry of hiding tables.
The Social Democratic Union (SDSM) has accused Finance Minister Gordana Dimitrieska-Kochoska and Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski of manipulating the country's public debt figures to downplay recent borrowing while the Alta Bank scandal is ongoing.
Opposition alleges data distortion
SDSM said the minister announced that public debt rose by more than €300 million in the third quarter compared with the second, reaching €11 billion by September, yet “the public debt increased, but magically it decreased in percentage terms, from the previous 58.8 percent in the second quarter to 56.6 percent of GDP in the third quarter.”
Alongside its statement the party published tables showing the state of public debt in June and in September, saying the comparison demonstrates the discrepancy.
“This kind of data falsification, the opponents say, the Ministry of Finance has never done since independence, not even, as they pointed out, during the time of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.”
SDSM added in its statement that the minister personally confirmed what the party described as a scandalous falsification and suggested the move coincides with what it called the European Commission’s darkest report. The party said the alleged action is further proof of institutional chaos and accused the minister of hiding all debt tables while SDSM releases them publicly.
Photo: press material from the event
