Karakamiseva overshadowed Mickoski

When the president of VMRO-DPMNE came in the company of Tanja Karakamiseva-Jovanovska at the leaders’ meeting at 6pm, many failed to hide their surprise. The question was raised-why, apart from three vice-presidents, general secretary, about forty MPs, current and former officials, Hristijan Mickoski decided to bring the professor of constitutional law and political system to the Faculty of Law in Skopje? Karakamiseva has been proclaimed as a fierce critic of the policies of the current government and an even stronger supporter of the policies of the current opposition, but few of the surprised knew that since February she is the president of the VMRO-DPMNE Political System Commission. She was appointed at a session of the executive committee in one of the first sessions of the new composition, formed shortly after Mickoski became the successor to Nikola Gruevski.
“The idea was for the president to have a person beside him that is well acquainted with legal matters, bearing in mind that the topics of the discussion at the leader’s meeting were exceptional in this aspect: the question of the State Election Commission, the referendum on the name, the return of the Przino model to the government… Due to this, on both days he was accompanied by Karakamiseva, who is considered an experienced lawyer. If the format was different, at least 1 + 2, then Vice President Aleksandar Nikoloski would have been there beside them. This way, the advantage was given to Karakamiseva,” sources from VMRO-DPMNE explain to Nezavisen/Independent newspaper.
The professor is active in all fields, even on social networks. These days, she actively criticizes the items of the concluded name agreement with Greece. She publicly advocates boycotting the referendum.
In the shadow of the meeting and the possible resolution of the current political crisis, with which, at least for a moment, the blocked processes in the wake of the announced referendum of the people would be unraveled, VMRO-DPMNE continues the activities of the “Working Summer”. On Sunday, another rally is planned against the government of Zoran Zaev, this time in Kicevo. The final decision was to be confirmed at a session of the executive committee scheduled for later that night.
Since the party is headed by Hristijan Mickoski, four major rallies have been held throughout the country. The first was in Skopje early in the summer, after which the party announced that rallies would spread across the country. The second in Bitola coincided with the party’s birthday, but more importantly: the day when the historic agreement with Greece was signed in Mala Prespa, due to which part of the membership was dissatisfied with the mild reaction of the party that declares itself to be the most patriotic. After the protests in Strumica and Kavadarci, Kicevo is next in line.
According to information obtained by Nezavisen/Independent, then a two-week break from mass gatherings due to summer holidays and the Ilinden holiday will follow. In late August, another rally in Skopje is planned, which would complete the “Working Summer” project.
VMRO-DPMNE faces a serious dilemma about how to make referendum. The party briefed that they are under serious pressure from the international community, as well as partners from Brussels and Washington to actively participate in the referendum, even though they have voted against the deal. The goal is to extract the VMRO from home and thus provide the necessary census. The estimates of the foreign factor are that VMRO-DPMNE will not be able to win more votes than the joint bloc of SDSM and Albanian political parties. On the other hand, within the VMRO-DPMNE itself there are circles that insist on boycotting, leaving the assembly benches and acting from the streets.
The European People’s Party (EPP), which includes VMRO-DPMNE, which mainly dominates Europe, supports the agreement with Greece and pushes Macedonia into the borders of the EU and NATO, further narrowing the maneuvering space of the leading opposition party in the country. Interestingly, the Greek opposition led by Kyriakos Mitsotakis is part of the EPP, and they are opposed to the agreement. Officials from the so-called ‘White Palace’ admit that it is so, but they point out that friends from outside have several reasons why they do it.
“The first is that all of them are interested in completing a senseless process that burdens everyone, even if it was not the best compromise. Secondly, they get the wrong information from the leaders in Skopje that the people completely support this government and that the agreement with Greece passes with minor remarks, as well as that VMRO-DPMNE has no rating and is not powerful to cause trouble. And third, our foreign partners do not live here and do not know our feelings, traditions, pride, disobedience… They come and go, and we remain to live here. It’s not all the same,” our interlocutors comment.
In the public in the past few days the information that VMRO-DPMNE launched a strong campaign with the EP parties in order to reject the support of the agreement, which is why allegedly party officials went on a tour throughout Europe. The party informs that it is only true that MP Vlatko Gjorcev was in Berlin at a seminar of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly dedicated to preventing ethnic conflicts.

Goran Adamovski