Skopje, 19 April 2026 (MIA) - Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski expressed expectation that citizens in Bulgaria, in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, will elect a prime minister who is pro-European, focused on good-neighbourly relations rather than bilateral issues and committed to fundamental European values.

“I expect that citizens in Bulgaria, who are voting today, will elect a prime minister who is clearly pro-European, oriented towards good-neighbourly relations, and who will focus on genuine European fundamental values defined long ago by Adenauer, Schuman and De Gasperi, rather than on bilateral issues. As an EU member state, I expect Bulgaria to be a true promoter of the Copenhagen criteria, not of bilateral disputes, which are now expected to answer questions from the Middle Ages,” Mickoski said at a press conference, answering a journalist question on expectations from the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, where citizens are voting today for the 52nd the National Assembly.

He expressed slight disappointment over the low participation of Macedonian Bulgarians, saying that only 250 had expressed interest in the elections.

“I am slightly disappointed by the low turnout among Macedonian Bulgarians, as only 250 Macedonian Bulgarians are interested in participating in these elections, out of the 200,000 according to Radev and those around him. I expected a higher turnout,” Mickoski said.

Bulgarians are heading to the polls Sunday to elect the 52nd National Assembly. Polling stations opened at 7 am and will remain open until 8 pm, with voting possibly extended until 9 pm. if there are queues of voters waiting to cast their ballots. A total of 24 political parties and coalitions are taking part in the election race. Overall, 4,786 candidates are competing for 240 parliamentary seats. Of them, 1,440 are women and 3,343 are men.

Photo: screenshot