North Macedonia opposition stages anti-government protest

Amid a strict corona virus measures, opposition supporters gather to protest the leftist government policy towards Bulgaria, in front of the government building in Skopje, North Macedonia, late Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020. Main conservative opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski has called late on Thursday leftist Prime minister Zoran Zaev to resign after his controversial interview given to one Bulgarian media in which he mitigated Bulgaria’s occupation role in then Macedonia during the World War II. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

© Provided by Associated Press

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Some 2,000 protesters staged an opposition rally in North Macedonia late Thursday to demand the resignation of the country’s Social Democrat prime minister, Zoran Zaev.

The conservative opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski spoke at the event and accused the Zaev government of being too conciliatory to neighboring Bulgaria, which recently blocked the start of negotiations for North Macedonia to join the European Union.

Bulgaria’s demands for the talks to begin include that the former Yugoslav republic acknowledge that the roots of its language are Bulgarian.

North Macedonia formally joined NATO earlier this year and furthered its efforts toward EU membership after reaching a landmark agreement with another neighbor, Greece, changing its name from Macedonia.