New Government Takes the Reins in North Macedonia: Balancing EU Accession and Diplomatic Tensions

North Macedonia’s Southeastern European neighbors have expressed frustration over the country’s stalled progress in its European integration process. Despite making significant compromises, including changing its own name, the country has yet to see any tangible results from its efforts.

In recent years, the country has been plagued by poor governance and a lack of transparency in negotiations with neighboring countries, particularly Bulgaria. This has added to the frustration among the population and contributed to their dissatisfaction with the government.

Following a series of parliamentary elections held in North Macedonia, the national conservative VMRO-DPMNE party emerged victorious with a landslide victory. The party leader Hristijan Mickoski was appointed as the new head of government. Meanwhile, the Social Democrats who were previously in power now hold only 18 seats in parliament.

The VMRO also won the second round of presidential elections, with their candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova receiving a significant majority of votes. The election results reflect the dissatisfaction among North Macedonians with their current leaders and their failure to address their concerns about EU accession and relations with neighboring countries.

Despite this setback, it is hoped that North Macedonia will continue its efforts towards EU accession and work towards resolving its disputes with Bulgaria and Greece. The new government must take a proactive approach to addressing these issues and restore transparency to negotiations if it hopes to build trust among its citizens and maintain support for EU membership.

The victory of VMRO party signals a shift in government and potentially a new approach to ongoing challenges facing North Macedonia’s European integration process.