The Social Democrats had been in power for seven years in Skopje, but many voters felt they did so poorly, incompetently, and corruptly. In the recent parliamentary and presidential elections, the right-wing opposition has won, with the VMRO-DPMNE receiving 43.1 percent of the vote and having 59 mandates in the 120-seat parliament. This replaces the social democratic SDSM, which has been in power since 2017. The Social Democrats suffered a bitter defeat, losing well over half of their voters.
The right-wing victory reflects the disappointment of many with the ruling Social Democrats. The poor administration, nepotism, corruption, and economic decline were key issues in the election. With almost half of the seats in the new parliament, the right-wing opposition is in a comfortable position to choose their coalition partner. Opposition supporters celebrated in the streets of Skopje as VMRO boss Mickoski declared it a historic victory for the Macedonian people. Mickoski campaigned on a confrontational course against neighboring countries in case of an election victory.
The VMRO candidate also scored a clear victory in the runoff election for the office of head of state. Bulgaria has demanded North Macedonia mention its minority in its constitution as a prerequisite for EU accession negotiations. The EU countries have the right to veto any progress in negotiations if this condition is not met. As such, North Macedonia will need to address this issue if it hopes to continue its path towards EU membership.
The new government faces challenges in maintaining EU negotiations and improving governance under Mickoski’s leadership as he takes over as Prime Minister of North Macedonia. It is hoped that he will be able to address these challenges and lead his country towards greater prosperity and stability.