New Election Marks Shift in North Macedonia’s Approach to European Integration Amid Frustration

The election results in North Macedonia were heavily influenced by the frustration of citizens over the stalled European integration process. The Social Democratic government had not made enough progress in recent years, despite significant compromises being made for EU accession, such as changing the country’s name.

Following the recent parliamentary elections, the conservative VMRO-DPMNE party won a landslide victory, falling just short of an absolute majority in the 120-member parliament. The party leader Hristijan Mickoski has been appointed as the new head of government. The Social Democrats, who were previously in power, now only hold 18 seats in parliament.

The VMRO also emerged victorious in the second round of presidential elections, with their candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova receiving a significant majority of votes. The frustration with the EU is partly due to the lack of progress in the accession negotiations, as well as ongoing disputes with Greece and Bulgaria.

The lack of transparency in negotiations with Bulgaria and distrust among the population have added to these frustrations. In addition to this, there is dissatisfaction with poor governance and lack of progress within the country. The victory of the VMRO party signals a shift in government and potentially a new approach to addressing North Macedonia’s challenges.

The election results reflect that citizens are frustrated with slow progress towards EU membership and poor governance from previous governments.

In conclusion, North Macedonia continues to struggle with its integration into Europe due to various factors such as disputes with neighboring countries and poor governance. However, with a new government led by Hristijan Mickoski and Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova’s victory, there is hope that they will bring about change and find a way forward for North Macedonia’s future within Europe.