North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski on Friday intensified his attacks on the opposition Social Democrats (SDSM), accusing them of spreading fear over media reports in the United Kingdom suggesting rejected asylum seekers could be relocated to the Balkan state.
The government has repeatedly denied the possibility of receiving migrants under any arrangement with London, but the issue has swiftly become one of the most polarising disputes in the country’s domestic politics.
Speaking during a visit to the village of Kolesino in the Strumica region, Mickoski said SDSM officials had “crossed the Rubicon” by relaying reporting from the Times and other British outlets despite government denials. He said their statements had fuelled “fear and panic” and should face legal consequences.
“I understand raising the topic once or twice, but after official denials from the prime minister’s office and the relevant ministries, continuing to circulate these claims means you are consciously spreading panic,” he said, adding that the Criminal Code provides penalties for such actions.
Mickoski urged law-enforcement institutions to open cases against opposition figures who shared the British reports. He accused SDSM and its former coalition partner DUI of previously exerting political pressure on state bodies, calling on them to “free themselves from those constraints.”
Political stakes
Rumours about possible migrant transfers from the UK have created discomfort for Mickoski’s VMRO-DPMNE, whose base strongly opposes the establishment of any migrant reception facilities. The party has intensified its anti-migration messaging in recent days.
Mickoski said VMRO-DPMNE councillors across municipalities would next week submit motions reaffirming that no migrant camps would be allowed on their territories. The documents, he said, would underscore the party’s “anti-migration policy” and its stance against irregular migration.
He also repeated an earlier claim that he would “permanently leave politics” if SDSM could prove that even one migrant had arrived in North Macedonia under any agreement with the UK or other governments. “Migrants will not be seen,” he said.
Opposition response
SDSM leader Venko Filipče has rejected Mickoski’s accusations, urging the government to back an opposition-drafted parliamentary resolution that would formally prohibit the country from accepting migrants under international deals.
Opposition parties aligned with SDSM have rallied behind the resolution, framing it as a guarantee of national security. Filipče said VMRO-DPMNE should vote for the document if the government’s denials are genuine.
The exchange comes as parts of Europe debate changes to human-rights frameworks to facilitate deportations of irregular migrants. In North Macedonia, however, the issue has spiralled into a broad political confrontation, with both sides accusing each other of manipulating the topic for electoral gain.