(ANSA-AFP) - SKOPJE, MAY 6 - North Macedonia appears set to
be on a collision course with its EU neighbours Greece and
Bulgaria with double-header elections Wednesday poised to return
the country's right-wing opposition to power. The votes could
have a huge effect on the struggling Balkan nation's hopes of
becoming a member of the European Union. After scoring a
double-digit win in the first round of presidential elections
last month, the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party was heading into
the run-off vote and simultaneous parliament elections with
surging momentum. Party chief Hristijan Mickoski has refused to
acknowledge the country's new name and a landmark deal signed
with Greece in 2018 -- which added "North" to its title to
settle a long-running dispute. He has also vowed to stand firm
in a tussle with Bulgaria that has seen Sofia block North
Macedonia's EU accession talks for the past two years. The
VMRO-DPMNE leadership has been bullish in recent rallies, where
spirited crowds have lapped up their nationalist message. "The
victory is within reach and it is a consequence of all the
suffering and humiliation this government brought," Mickoski
told supporters in the capital Skopje. If his VMRO-DPMNE party
succeeds in securing a majority in the parliament, Mickoski is
all but certain to be the next prime minister. Since taking over
the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE in 2017, Mickoski has rebuilt the
battered party after its former leader and ex-PM Nikola Gruevski
fled corruption charges and was given asylum in Viktor Orban's
Hungary. (ANSA-AFP).
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