Dojran, 16 April 2024 (MIA) — The number of shoes lined up in front of the government building six years ago to show how many people have moved abroad is now ten times higher, according to VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski at an election rally in Dojran.

Mickoski said he was a faculty professor and "eight out of ten" of his students planned to "flee as far as possible from here" as soon as they graduated.

"And not only for economic reasons, given that engineers have relatively attractive starting salaries. It is more because they feel frustrations.

"Some citizens are privileged and are first-class citizens, and they feel like second-class citizens.

"In some parts of Macedonia the laws are enforced, and in some parts of Macedonia the laws are not enforced," Mickoski said.

According to him, the upcoming elections would shape the country's future. "These elections are practically a crossroads for the future direction Macedonia will take," he said.

"I am convinced this will be the right direction. From what I have seen over the past twelve days across Macedonia, there is quite a great awakening among citizens, who are uniting around the idea of change," Mickoski said.

The VMRO-DPMNE leader also said when SDSM was in power the country "lost the most" and citizens were impoverished, robbed, and lost their Macedonian identity.

He urged Dojran locals to vote on April 24 and May 8, adding that the Social Democrats' "defeats, robberies, degradations, humiliations and shame" should not be allowed to happen again.

VMRO-DPMNE's Aleksandar Nikoloski also spoke at the Dojran rally. He alleged that Dojran Mayor Ango Angov had started to pressure people and offer bribes. mr/