Bytyqi warns: The economic situation in North Macedonia is critical, the state coffers are empty

Fatmir Bytyqi, an MP from SDSM, was a guest on Telegrafi Macedonia’s PodGo show, where he spoke about the country’s economy, his party, and the Government.

He described the country’s economic situation as serious, adding that the lack of public funds could force the Government to call early elections.

“Facing this economic reality will push the executive towards the ballot boxes. This move would serve to buy time, because they lack a clear plan to improve the situation. The state coffers are empty. We closed the year with an 8% drop in revenue, an unprecedented phenomenon in the history of our modern state, and this was confirmed by the budget revision. The situation is alarming and is reflected in the business sector, which is suffering from a lack of liquidity. In previous crises, citizens did not feel the shortage of money, but now the crisis is real,” Bytyqi stated.

Speaking about SDSM, he stressed that the party is undergoing a reform process.

“What is happening now, according to him, is part of the SDSM reform that began two years ago. I have always been critical and honest during this phase, seeking to open the party to all those who share the same principles and ideology. I am not involved in the party’s restructuring, I am its MP. The polls are part of this reform process and they show a decline in citizens’ interest in participating in elections,” he added.

Regarding the incident of Albanian MPs being stopped in Albania, Bytyqi called it a negative signal from both sides.

“We go to the homeland as their children. Even when I was not in politics, I did not interfere in their internal politics. This is a bad signal from both the mother state and from those who hold official positions. We have a lot of work to do here,” he said.

As for the VLEN coalition, Bytyqi had a clear piece of advice for them regarding their governing partner, VMRO-DPMNE.

“I advise them to be tougher at the negotiating table with their partners and to clearly show that they have crossed the line. VMRO-DPMNE came to power with a narrative of superiority, where they are above and others are subservient. The citizens of this country belong to different ethnicities, but they deserve to be treated equally. VMRO-DPMNE must understand that it must treat all citizens equally, otherwise it will soon face problems in its governance,” Bytyqi concluded./Telegrafi/