Skopje, 25 April 2026 (MIA) - Termination of the caretaker government poses a serious risk to the democratic process and leads to electoral fraud, says SDSM leader Venko Filipche.

Filipche told Triling TV show that the government led by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski lacks the capacity to organize fair elections due to the increasingly partisan institutions.

"We have authorities that usurp institutions, push for a partisan judiciary and police. The PM has 'feelings' and gives guidelines to judges and prosecutors from the Parliament stand, the new law on police will cancel career advancement and put partisan people in managerial posts," says Filipche.

He also points to the media influence and spreading of propaganda, which further worsens the democratic atmosphere.

"The Orban-led media, namely 40 percent of all media in the country, spread fake news, propaganda and an anti-European narrative. These authorities don't have the capacity to administer democratic elections. We have informed the OSCE and stated in our reports for the 2025 local elections that money was distributed by VMRO-DPMNE activists at polling stations, in front of the eyes of the police officers," says Filipche.

The SDSM leader notes that the goal of the caretaker government's termination is full control of the electoral process.

"Why is the Government doing this? This caretaker gov't is a guarantee for fair and democratic elections. Why would they oppose having opposition officials in the institutions during the implementation of the elections? We all know the answer: because they want electoral fraud and complete control of the system," says Filipche.

Photo: SDSM