The government has lost its legitimacy, it’s time for change


Aleksandar Nikoloski
Vice President of VMRO-DPMNE

If one should evaluate the presidential elections in one sentence, it would be – even though the government won, it is essentially defeated! This is the beginning of the end of Zoran Zaev, SDSM, DUI and this government in general. On one side, we had a candidate supported by all the ruling parties, including the Albanian political parties – DUI, DPA and Alternative. On the other side, we had Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, candidate supported by VMRO-DPMNE and the majority of the Macedonian people.
The government decided for the second time to break the well-established rules that operate the ethnic harmony and from the start to have a candidate who will have a monopoly over most of the Albanian votes. This is a bad message, it is a message that frustrates, especially frustrates the Macedonian people who are majority in this country, a message that frustrates people in most of the municipalities where Siljanovska-Davkova won, as well as all those who wanted to see Macedonia as a functional and harmonious multiethnic country. The message is that voices can be guided by a political agreement, and not left to the voters themselves to decide on the basis of the candidate’s offer, his program and the concept.
One should not underestimate the role of DUI that has portrayed VMRO-DPMNE as an enemy of Albanians in Macedonia for years. That’s far from the truth. But DUI does it in order to cover its weaknesses. Unfulfilled promises to those who vote for them, corruption in their ranks, refusal to reform the party, the party’s many mistakes are always justified by using VMRO-DPMNE, representing it as an opponent of the Albanian people, as well as Macedonia’s NATO and EU integration. Of course, this is totally incorrect. It was done massively in this campaign. To make the paradox even bigger, it was done by people who are all just not synonymous with honest politicians that cherish Western values. Actually, DUI is even worse than SDSM. If three geenrations of politicians changed in the ranks of VMRO-DPMNE, if two generations changed in SDSM, in DUI politicians are eternal.
I must admit that it is our fault that in the past year and several months as a new leadership we did not devote enough time and energy to represent ourselves to the Albanian electorate, to show who we are and what we are. But we have all the time in the world and this mistake will be corrected.
The strong reform in VMRO-DPMNE, both in staffing and concept, brought excellent results in these elections, which put VMRO-DPMNE in the first place in Macedonia. That reform is a wave that will affect other parties. In that direction, under that pressure that something must change and that SDSM must adjust to the new trends imposed by VMRO-DPMNE, Zaev has to announce the “sweep” a little less comically. The same wave is happening in the Albanian political camp, and we will be here to show who we are and what we are, so that Albanians would not find out about us from someone else who will cover their inability, corruption and unwillingness to change by using VMRO-DPMNE. We will never allow it again.
But what is essential for these elections is that the government has lost its legitimacy, and with the result in the first and the second round result. This result delegitimizes the government and therefore it should leave as soon as possible. If we objectively look at the conditions in which VMRO-DPMNE is developing and was developing in the past period, it is easy to conclude that Zaev and the government attempted to destroy the party. An attempt that does not look like a democratic society, but as a product of a totalitarian mind. But that is Zaev, we already know him. When he goes outside the country to meet officials with his hand on his heart and his smile, and the three words he had learned in English, using mostly the word “yes”, at home he is hungry for power and money, trying to cover it with political persecution against the opposition political party VMRO- DPMNE. But the citizens recognized this, and did not give him their confidence.
Although VMRO-DPMNE is under strong political pressure and persecution, although its property is frozen, although it is without financial means for functioning, however, VMRO-DPMNE is the winner of these elections! It is the winner also because there were no directors of institutions, from the smallest to the highest, from the least important to the most important, who did not threaten the employees to vote for Stevo Pendarovski. There was no company that was not under pressure to do the same. Citizens, in particular those belonging to the more vulnerable categories, the poor and the neglected, were underestimated among the two rounds. They were offered money by representatives of the government to vote for Stevo Pendarovski, they wanted to buy their souls. The same ones who had not done anything for two years to improve their lives, now offered them money to vote for them. Where does this money come from? From corruption that flourishes everywhere and drags the country down.
And therefore this Government has no legitimacy to continue, because it will only continue to fail. The first failure comes in June. Unfortunately, for the second year in a row, Macedonia will not receive a date for the start of EU accession negotiations. What legitimacy will this Government have to lead the country afterwards? There is no such legitimacy. Or by the end of the year, debt could grow to 55 percent of the gross domestic product, which is the highest recorded so far. By the end of the year, there will no new investors in the country. What legitimacy will the government have after that? Corruption will continue to flourish, I already hear that most ministers and directors have made deals with certain companies to grant them state tenders. They know that the end is near, so they try to gain as much as possible. What kind of  legitimacy will such a government have in the future?
Therefore, early general elections should be organized as soon as possible. Elections that will remove this government, and Macedonia will begin to go back to normal. Elections after which Zaev will leave.

I have a message for Pendarovski, as well. I would like to wish him luck and success in his term. He had the best opponent that Macedonia has even seen in the country’s presidential elections so far. He should use some of her visions, concepts and wisdom. It will be good for Macedonia. Otherwise, he will only confirm the impression that he has been forcibly chosen and that he will not bring anything new and of quality.
Better days for Macedonia are coming, this result clearly showed that the people want change, and that change will come. It will either come after the government’s decision to resign because it finally accepted reality, or when everyone that disagrees with this government will go out and protest against it. It’s the government’s choice, and the people’s decision.

Views expressed in this article are personal views of the author and do not represent the editorial policy of Nezavisen Vesnik