In brief
North Macedonian PM Hristijan Mickoski and opposition leader Venko Filipce clashed over Serbia’s new student‑movement government, with Mickoski praising the reforms and Filipce accusing the Skopje administration of corruption ties to Aleksandar Vucic. The dispute underscores growing regional political friction.
North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and opposition leader Venko Filipce exchanged heated remarks over the results of Serbia’s parliamentary elections, according to the Bureau of National News (BTA) on February 26, 2027. The confrontation unfolded during a press conference following Serbia’s October 25 elections, when Serbia’s new student‑movement government, led by Ilija Srdanovic, won a parliamentary majority.
Mickoski welcomed the change in Serbia, saying that he expects Serbia and North Macedonia to “continue working to increase economic cooperation.” He also noted that he was among the first to congratulate Srdanovic, the student‑movement leader, on the election victory.
Filipce, on the other hand, accused the Skopje administration of ties to Aleksandar Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party, saying the government was linked to “corruption schemes in the energy sector and through drug trafficking.” He added that “the government uses instructions from Vucic” and that these foreign ties had robbed North Macedonia of democratic freedoms. He said:
Some people say we are celebrating foreign elections. No, we are celebrating the arrival of the wave of democracy here in the region, because these business, political, and media ties with Aleksandar Vucic and, until recently, with Viktor Orban are the ties that fuel, and have fuelled, our regime. They keep us captive, in a media blackout, and under a highly corrupt regime.
In response, Mickoski said he is “acquainted with the insults, fabrications, and lies” directed at him by the opposition. He also defended the government’s relationship with Serbia, pointing out that the two countries have historically maintained close ties while pursuing shared economic interests.
The exchange reflects long‑standing tensions between the ruling VMRO‑DPMNE and the opposition SDSM, as well as broader regional disputes over alliances and democratic reform.
