Clouds over North Macedonia's EU ambitions, as nationalists sweep to power
KathimeriniMay 09
Right-Wing Opposition Makes Gains in North Macedonia
Image copyright: European People's Party via Wikimedia Commons
The Facts
North Macedonia's right-wing opposition won both the parliamentary elections and the presidential run-off held on Wednesday in the Balkan country, home to 2M people.
With nearly all the votes counted, the Your Macedonia coalition — under the leadership of Hristijan Mickoski of the VMRO-DPMNE party— received 43% of the votes to secure 58 of the parliament's 120 seats.
The Spin
Narrative A
Frustration over the delay in North Macedonia's accession to the EU has prompted voters to side with the nationalist opposition — this choice is doomed to backfire. While the VMRO claims to support EU integration, it has yet to prove its commitment to the agenda, particularly because it seems to be willing to revive tensions with Bulgaria and Greece.
Narrative B
The incumbent socialists have falsely sought to instill fear that conservatives would threaten the country's EU accession to no avail. North Macedonians have given a clear mandate for Your Macedonia to put an end to the corruption and humiliation suffered under leftist leadership in a historic vote that saw the country's highest turnout in recent times.