VMRO leader: I recognise the Prespa Agreement but I will never use "North"

Christian Mickovski, the leader of the North Macedonian right-wing opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, said in an interview on Sunday night on Skopje's largest private television station, Sitel, that he would never use the country's new name (North Macedonia), despite the fact that he recognises, as he said, the Prespa Agreement as it is a reality which one cannot be ignored.

"You can not expect me to repeat the designation like [Prime Minister] Zoran Zaev [of North Macedonia]. I will never do that," said VMRO leaderMickovski.

"However, the Prespa agreement, which brings with it a specific reality in Macedonia - we are part of this Parliament, we participate in elections in the country, we are part of a reality which unfortunately was adopted by Zoran Zaev.

"We cannot ignore it, we can not be hypocrites and say it is not true."

These statements by the leader of the official opposition of Greece's northern neighbour comes at a time when opposition parties have announced that they have secured a parliamentary majority to overthrow the government of Zoran Zaev, which, as they claim, has now lost.

On Sunday, the VMRO leader gave Zaev a "deadline" to submit his resignation on Monday, adding that if that did not happen, he would file a motion of censure against the government.

These developments follow the heavy defeat of the ruling Social Democratic Party (SDSM) of Zoran Zaev in last Sunday's municipal elections and the statement of the latter that he will resign from the post of Prime Minister of the country.

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