PLD: Iva Mihajlova case exposes the collapse of state institutions

The Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) has expressed deep outrage over the scandals that shake public opinion in the country every day. According to the party, they show that state institutions are continuing to crumble while a system built on injustice is taking shape.

In its statement, PLD says it views the Iva Mihailova case without any ethnic connotations and will not allow nationalist-chauvinist circles in the region to exploit human tragedies for ethno-populist campaigns. The party calls the messages coming from Sofia scandalous and appalling, saying they point to a country where the rule of law has been completely eclipsed, let alone one with a European system of justice.

According to PLD, Mihailova should now face prosecution for a new crime. The party also claims the scandal is compounded by the actions of her lawyer, who, it says, committed crimes against Bulgarian justice and our country through his public statement that she had taken her fate into her own hands.

PLD describes the situation as a legal catastrophe. In the party’s view, the real tragedy in Macedonia is the complete breakdown of institutional functioning: a person suspected of causing a death in a traffic accident, instead of answering to justice and complying with court orders, is presented as an alleged victim and a showbiz star, as if in a cheap, repellent reality show. The party says there is no one in Macedonia who does not feel disgust that such a thing was possible.

PLD goes on to say that the country should have a functioning police force, border crossings equipped with security cameras, and services that ensure people whose passports have been confiscated and who are barred from leaving remain available to the authorities. If these mechanisms are merely a non-functioning farce, the party says, the message is unmistakable: in Macedonia, you can kill, steal and destroy, then leave the country unhindered and pose for photographs as a victim.

PLD stresses that this is happening in a state where the government exercises absolute control, holds all legislative power and a constitutional majority, fully controls local government, dominates the media landscape and even has full oversight of security cameras.