Antiquization

A court verdict against its former leader puts North Macedonia's main opposition VMRO DPMNE party at risk of losing its luxury HQ in the capital plus a total of 34 properties across the country.

North Macedonia's parliament has adopted a resolution which draws so-called "red lines" in talks with Bulgaria on the Macedonian identity and language.

Initially filed in early July by the main opposition right wing VMRO DPMNE party, it was supported by 95 out of the 96 MPs present in the 120-seat parliament, with only one abstaining.

After previously saying they saw no reason for it, North Macedonia's main ruling Social Democrats on Monday offered to support an opposition resolution on the country's language and identity in regards to ongoing talks with neighbouring Bulgaria.

Germany's Minister for Europe, Michael Roth, said on a visit to Skopje that there is a chance of a breakthrough between Bulgaria and North Macedonia that would allow the start of North Macedonia's much-delayed EU accession talks on June 22 in the EU Council.

Harbinger of city's divisive makeover

The erection of the controversial church foreshadowed the bigger and much more divisive government project to revamp the entire capital in classical style, known as "Skopje 2014", which was first revealed in CGI in a government video in 2010.

Voters, she said, must choose between that future or a return to the past under VMRO-DPMNE when the party was accused of monopolising power, undermining independent institutions, stifling media freedom and spending wildly on nationalist vanity projects.

Hungarian ads filled the gap after change of power:

Screenshot from Republika. Photo: Prizma.mk 

A quick look on the media outlets where these adverts were placed reveals that they were not chosen at random.

One of them is the expected verdict in the high-profile case codenamed 'Monster', which deals with the gruesome killing of five ethnic Macedonians in 2012 during Orthodox Easter near Skopje, in which ethnic Albanians are on trial.

North Macedonia's leaders have agreed that there is no alternative to EU membership - but old political grievances are already re-emerging in the run-up to early elections set for next spring.

Bulgaria supports Northern Macedonia and Albania to launch EU membership talks. The official position came from the government meeting. However, the country has conditions.