Following Prime Minister Mickoski's statement warning that former Social Democratic officials could soon be prosecuted, SDSM leader Venko Filipçe has sent official letters to the institutions of the European Union, the European Commission, the European Parliament, as well as to the rapporteur for North Macedonia and the ambassadors of member states, in which he expresses concern about the state of the rule of law in the country, but also warns of the violation of the democratic and constitutional order, as well as the separation of powers. The letters highlight a well-founded concern about coordinated efforts by the executive branch to influence justice institutions, which, according to the party, poses a risk of politicizing judicial processes. "There is a real and well-founded concern that the executive branch is implementing a coordinated strategy to penetrate the independence of the judiciary, which indicates a clear and systematic installation of authoritarianism," the letters that Filipçe sent to the international factor state, SDSM informs.
The letters also cite the statement of Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, which SDSM assesses as a warning of possible political pressure and selective procedures against former officials. The party assesses that such messages can be interpreted as indicators of political revenge and possible influence on institutions, emphasizing that this is contrary to European democratic standards. "I have a feeling that soon senior officials from the previous SDSM government, former prime ministers, government leaders, their close family members, etc., will be involved in certain prosecution processes. This statement of political revenge poses a direct threat to democratic pluralism. His feeling that concrete actions will follow is a transparent indicator of the intention for executive control over the prosecution and judiciary, namely the preparation of politically rigged processes," SDSM emphasizes. With this behavior, using both functions - as prime minister and as chairman of VMRO-DPMNE, according to SDSM, Mickoski turns state institutions into an instrument of party clashes, while at the same time using them as a shield for his own structures.
The party in the letters calls on European institutions to follow the situation and react, warning that such practices are incompatible with the values of the European Union. “LSDM documents an organized delegitimization of the justice system and demands an immediate reaction from European institutions, emphasizing that such behavior is completely incompatible with the values of a state aiming for EU membership,” the party statement says. SDSM adds that they remain committed to the country’s European path and the protection of democratic principles and the rule of law.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski reacted to the information that the leader of the SDSM, Venko Filipce, has sent letters to all relevant institutions of the European Union in Brussels. The Prime Minister assessed that everyone has the right to address and send letters to international addresses, but added that his position on these actions remains unchanged. "Well, everyone has the right to correspond and send letters, but my feelings are increasingly strong", declared Mickoski. Otherwise, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski had previously stated that he expects that judicial processes will soon begin against former senior officials of the previous government led by SDSM. "I have a feeling that soon senior officials from the previous SDSM government, former prime ministers, government leaders, their close family members, will be involved in certain prosecution processes. I have a feeling, I am not saying that I have information, but I have a feeling", declared Mickoski, answering journalists' questions.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, two days ago, responding to a question from journalists regarding the positions of the opposition SDSM regarding the responsibility of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, said that he has no information, but there is a feeling that senior officials from the previous SDSM government, such as former prime ministers and their close family members, will be involved in certain prosecution processes.
He then criticized the opposition for not showing enough self-criticism and emphasized that if it wants to be a credible alternative, it must publicly invite the former director of EMV, Vasko Kovačevski, to return to the country and face justice. He expects the opposition to show the same level of criticism even in cases where former officials from its ranks would be involved in certain prosecution processes, investigations or court proceedings, that is, even then to appear in press conferences and call them to account. SDSM then emphasized that Mickoski's statement is an attempt at political pressure and to shift public attention. According to the party, the prime minister, after having placed his people in key positions in the judiciary and the prosecutor's office, is trying through institutions and the media to influence the public narrative and to hide, as they say, the real processes related to crime and corruption. (koha.mk)
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