With noticeable excitement and energy, with the idea to show and prove himself as a leader of a big party that has still not lost its power, as if his first appearance in front of “his” people was his last, or, at the very least, was decisive for the fate of VMRO-DPMNE, Hristijan Mickoski showed everything he has learned from his predecessor Gruevski.
The assessment is that around 10,000 citizens attended yesterday’s protest in front of the Government building, busses and vans arrived from throughout Macedonia. DPMNE’s supporters, gathered in some way, enclosed from all sides, marked with according bans of the “cause”, were waiting for Mickoski, just like they used to wait for Gruevski. Kurir and similar media, known for their pro-DPMNE propaganda activity in the past years, “estimated” that as many as 50-60 thousand people took part in the protest.
Like an already established practice, equipped with the same knowledge and understanding from the time of the gruevism, they didn’t need additional motivating and admiration from the new leader, who didn’t show anything new in the agenda and intentions of VMRO-DPMNE.
The messages that were sent out were like the ones building up all year. Target figure Zoran Zaev, and the object placed in the heart of every “true” Macedonian, with a little patting on the shoulders of the Albanians, so that they don’t get mad, while the rest of the people are forgotten.
In concentric circles, as if trying to hypnotize the crowd, Mickoski was weaving his bad speech, not taking Zaev, the name or the Constitution out of his mouth, relying on the well-known nationalistic populism. But one thing was most visible and clearer than anything. At the heart of Mickoski’s demands, in fact, lies just one change. Zoran Zaev.
For them the Government is no good. It’s Zaev’s fault. The negations for the name are no good, Zaev again. SDSM are not leading a policy that suits them, Zaev. Law on languages, standards and values for joining NATO and EU, again Zaev. Their unfulfilled dream for the SEC to be led by their person, of course Zaev. And because VMRO-DPMNE have a really bad need for early parliamentary elections, again it’s Zaev’s fault.
Hence, the conclusion of the protests is that VMRO-DPMNE will not support a change to the Constitution in order for the constitutional name to be changed, they are demanding that a technical government be formed 100 days before early parliamentary elections, they are demanding that the president of the SEC is from their ranks, they want SDSM to be the way they want it to be, without Zoran Zaev, and for the Albanians – to contribute to the economy with their employment, and not with bilingualism.
Hoping that this time they were not forced by blackmail, pressures, threats and sandwiches, those who attended the protest might have left disappointed. Nevertheless, their leader Mickoski said nothing new and in particular about the medicine for their pain – the name. But they did, however, exaggerate a bit more the crimes of Zaev, which are to cast a shadow over the crimes of Gruevski.
And yes. The messages were sent.
SDSM replied:
“Today, from a public platform, Hristijan Mickoski was defending thugs under the veil of patriotism. Mickoski should know that his party needs to get on the scale of justice. The crime cannot be patriotism, no matter how loud you yell”, and “The request for early parliamentary elections together with the presidential ones, is a classic party bluff of Mickoski, who is faced with a poor rating and lack of support from citizens. It is not easy to follow Gruevski in a time when SDSM is receiving enormous support at local elections having won 57 mayoral seats”
And as proof that the protest did not pose even a small amount of risk for SDSM, the mayor of Skopje, Petre Shilegov, with photos after the protest, in an ecological manner, illustrated a clean-up, as if the protest never happened.
“We cleaned up the garbage. Like always…”, was Shilegov’s ambiguous message on his Facebook profile.
And finally, just so that it is not forgotten. VMRO-DPMNE’s protest looked like their election rallies where little children paraded with whistles, flags and banners. An end has to be put on abuse of children for party purposes.
Biljana Jordanovska
Photos: Alexandros Stamatiou
