Platform “12:05”: VMRO-DPMNE and SDSM Leaderships Are “Ideologically Impoverished Clusters of Loyalists”

The platform “Conversation for the Future at 12:05” held its second session dedicated to the 35th anniversary of North Macedonia’s independence, titled “35 years later…”, discussing the country’s political and social development, European integration, emigration, economic inequality and the need for changes to the political system.

The meeting brought together civic activists who have never been party members, current opposition office-holders and representatives of different generations of SDSM; the discussion followed the Chatham House rule, meaning views are not attributed to specific participants.

According to the shared conclusions, over the past 35 years North Macedonia has had “more unlearned lessons than real systemic progress”; in the process of the state’s international affirmation, painful compromises were made that caused long-term divisions in society and made reforms harder to implement. The symbolism of the name “12:05”, the participants say, should send the message that for some of the needed changes it is already late — but it must not become too late — also citing the years-long wait for full European Union membership.

The conclusions also criticize the way the transition and privatization were carried out, which, according to participants, contributed to growing economic inequality and the impoverishment of many citizens; youth emigration was described as one of the most serious problems (“North Macedonia is aging demographically”), causing serious erosion of cadres.

The statement levels harsh criticism at the current government led by VMRO-DPMNE: insufficient fight against crime and corruption, lack of essential reforms in justice, problems in the functioning of public services and unkept promises. Criticism is also directed at the leaderships of the two largest parties, VMRO-DPMNE and SDSM, assessed as facing ideological impoverishment and lacking a vision for solving the years-long problems.

Among the concrete changes proposed: changing the electoral model — as a first phase introducing a single electoral district, then open candidate lists; establishing a fair tax system that through redistribution of wealth would contribute to reducing poverty; a call to overcome political and ethnic divisions and create a broader opposition potential for change. “North Macedonia needs a new social contract as a basis for creating a broad opposition potential for change,” the final conclusions state, as 4NEWS reports.