The head of VMRO DPMNE, Hristijan Mickoski, called on Saturday for early parliamentary elections, saying that they are North Macedonia’s “only way out” of the deep political crisis.

He made these comments only one day after the Assembly of North Macedonia closed the debate on the constitutional amendments, but did not put them to the vote as the parliamentary majority did not have the necessary two-thirds votes.

Constitutional changes are necessary for the European integration process and are related to the inclusion of the Bulgarian minority in its preamble as a state-forming people, as provided by the “French proposal” for the settlement of disputes with Bulgaria.

“There is no price at which we would accept these constitutional changes under Bulgarian dictation. Not a single second should be wasted on this issue. The only reasonable way out of the situation now is early elections”, declared the leader of the Macedonian opposition, Hristijan Mickoski, on August 19 at a press conference in Skopje.

The hearing on constitutional amendments on August 18 did not last more than three hours, although the debate was expected to last ten days.

The opposition only participated in setting the agenda, for which 70 MPs voted, which for VMRO DPMNE was “proof that the majority does not have the 80 necessary votes to vote on the changes” and therefore called off the meeting.

Their positions on the “importance and approval of constitutional amendments” were presented to the parties in power, but the session was interrupted and its continuation for the act of voting can only be held if the majority informs the head of the Assembly, Talat Xhaferi, that he has secured the votes required.