Zaev: Macedonia rarely gets such a chance – to join the European family

SDSM so far has no projection of how much money it will spend on the referendum campaign, but all the money that will be spent from the budget on this purpose will be solely and exclusively for lease of media space, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said today in Kriva Palanka, where he attended the celebration of the Christian holiday Assumption of the Mother of God in the monastery St. Joakim Osogovski.

-Here I would like to clear up something- it’s not money that will be given to MPs. The way those funds will be distributed is according to who is “for” and who “against” the referendum, according to the lawmakers themselves, said Zaev.

According to him, SDSM will try to enter into a coalition with many political parties for the referendum, therefore the budget will depend on the coalition.

– But I do not believe that it will take more than 300-400 thousand euros, because the referendum itself is not like parliamentary elections and does not require a lot of campaign expenses, the prime minister explained.

“Our intention is to refer the referendum to what is a more pleasant and attractive atmosphere for the citizens, different from any other electoral processes.”

Asked whether it was legitimate for the parties to call for a boycott of the referendum, Zaev clarified that he wanted everyone in the country to be able to state their opinion, but that Macedonia rarely gets such a chance to enter the European family.

– ‘Reaching a (name) agreement after 27 years with Greece on such a sensitive matter was not easy. However this agreement has opened the EU doors for our economic prosperity, preservation of the territorial integrity of our tiny country,’ Zaev said, expressing belief that the referendum will be successful.