Skopje, 24 December 2024 (MIA) — The people are wise, regardless of their ethnic background, they see right through DUI's attempts to polarize the nation, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Tuesday in response to a reporter asking him to comment on DUI's recent statements that the government was illegitimate. 

Mickoski spoke to the press after attending a foundation stone laying ceremony for a new elementary school gym in Skopje village of Creshevo, in the Municipality of Gazi Baba.

Commenting on DUI's claims that the current government lacked legitimacy, PM Mickoski said the ruling coalition had won more than 600,000 votes in the May 8 parliamentary election and was one of the few ruling coalitions that had around 80 Members of Parliament.

"Yes, that's right. This government is without DUI in it, like we said," Mickoski said. 

"When we said it, we also listed the reasons for it. I see they still haven't learned their lesson. Having no other ideas how to make life better for the citizens, they are trying to polarize the people and thinking this kind of politics will produce results. This is all wrong. They can see it in public opinion polls. Still, if they think they should keep doing this, let them. That's their business," he said. 

According to the prime minister, DUI, "instead of apologizing and asking those fleeing justice to come back," aimed to open rifts in the nation.

"But the people are wise, regardless of their ethnicity, and refuse [to pay attention to] these political messages from the opposition. This is good and we will keep doing it," Mickoski said.

Regarding DUI leader Ali Ahmeti's statement on Monday that his political party was "a hurricane" and would not allow any changes to be made to the Law on Languages, the Macedonian PM said the Constitutional Court would decide on that.

"They think they will mobilize more people with threats. Whether the Law on Languages ​​is changed or not," Mickoski said, "should be decided by the Constitutional Court. They will hold a public debate there and ask the Venice Commission for their opinion."

Mickoski also said DUI had not done "anything good" while they were in power.

"The question is why they failed to do anything good for more than two decades. Anything they have done is flawed. That is the biggest problem," the PM said.

He added that DUI needed to "do some self-censorship" and think about why "they left all these things the way they left them." 

"Yet they did not forget to buy shopping malls, expensive Rolls Royce cars, instant companies that import coal… The gambling and abusing gambling licenses... 

"They somehow did not forget those things in the past more than two decades, yet they forgot to do everything else the voters trusted them to do the right way," Mickoski said. mr/