Mickoski: Independence celebrations attended by more than 200,000 citizens, SDSM criticism does not concern me

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski dismissed as unfounded the SDSM’s criticism of the costs of the 35th anniversary of independence and the concert by internationally renowned DJ David Guetta. According to him, the activities, held over the course of a month, were successful and attended by more than 200,000 citizens.

“I am following this show that the opposition is trying to put together. I think the only ones who are not satisfied with the 35th-anniversary celebrations are them. The program lasted a month and everything went wonderfully. More than 200,000 citizens took part in it. We appreciate the fact that Macedonia celebrated with dignity,” Mickoski said.

Asked by journalists about SDSM’s objections regarding David Guetta’s performance and the funds used, the prime minister also referred to the strong public reaction to the announcement of the artist’s participation.

“The video that surpassed one million views within 14 hours shows how important this performance was to citizens,” he said.

Mickoski then accused the previous government and the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) of how State Lottery funds were used, linking the issue to procedures currently under way.

“I can say that those who are disappointed today, during that period put the money into the private pockets of Përparim and others, while we are returning the excess funds to citizens and artists. On this point, I agree with the opposition: we are not the same,” Mickoski said.

He reiterated the claim that the State Lottery’s reserves and profits ended up in private hands during the previous government’s tenure, attributing direct responsibility for this to SDSM and DUI.

“Together with DUI, they transferred the Lottery’s reserves and profits into private pockets,” the prime minister said.

The head of government announced that support for similar activities would continue in the future, along with funding for initiatives in the fields of culture and sports.

“This government will organize such events every year and support cultural and sports initiatives. We believe this is the function of a socially responsible company such as the State Lottery, and this is also provided for in the new Law on Games of Chance,” Mickoski said.

SDSM recently criticized the government for financing activities marking the 35th anniversary of independence, focusing particularly on the funds linked to David Guetta’s concert. The government, meanwhile, insists that the money was secured from the State Lottery and socially responsible companies and that it covered several activities during the celebrations, not only Guetta’s performance.