North Macedonia Opposition Urges Deeper Probe into Independence Day Spending

Spanish tenor José Carreras performs at an independence event in Skopje in September 2026. Photo: EPA/GEORGI LICOVSKI. North Macedonia’s main opposition Social Democratic Union, SDSM, said on Wednesday that the State Anti-Corruption Commission’s decision to examine a possible conflict of interest over independence celebrations involving the composer and producer Nikolche Micevski was insufficient. It instead called on the Public Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the whole financing and organisation of more than month-long celebrations marking the anniversary of September 8’s Independence Day. “The opening of a case by the Anti-Corruption Commission for a possible conflict of interest involving one person is not an investigation into the 5.5 million euros,” the SDSM said, referencing the disclosed total cost of events. Micevski was among three outside experts involved in evaluating the programme submitted by Stardust, the company selected to organise the celebrations. He later appeared in the programme himself as a performer and was involved in the musical arrangements for a concert featuring Spanish tenor Jose Carreras. The state anti-corruption body has stressed that its case is limited to the possible conflict of interest and does not amount to an investigation into the entire 5.5 million euros expenditure. It said it was, nevertheless, monitoring other aspects of the organisation of the celebrations. The SDSM said prosecutors should secure the full documentation concerning the spending and establish who authorised the use of the money, how payments were made and whether all procedures were followed. It specifically questioned the use of some 4.9 million euros from the State Lottery’s undistributed profits to finance the celebrations. It asked whether the lottery’s shareholders’ assembly had approved the allocation and which institution had authorised the expenditure. The SDSM also called for scrutiny of the contract with Stardust, the payments made to the company, the reported involvement of Avalon production, which is owned by Stardust, and the arrangements for the appearance of French DJ and producer David Guetta at the main September 8 concert in the capital, Skopje. The government has said the celebrations, comprising 16 events, cost around 5.5 million euros, 4.9 million euros of which came from the State Lottery, which it completely owns. The rest was provided by companies described by the government as socially responsible. It insists no money was taken directly from the state budget to finance the celebrations. The government initially provided limited information about the overall cost of the celebrations – until BIRN reported that the state-owned lottery had played a key role in managing events. The SDSM said questions raised by the Anti-Corruption Commission over Micevski’s role should not divert attention from the broader issue of how millions of euros were allocated and spent. The anti-corruption body, meanwhile, has said other competent institutions should take action if they establish grounds for criminal or other legal proceedings. Faced with prolonged public scrutiny, on Sunday Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski again defended the celebrations, dismissing the opposition’s criticism as “political theatre” and saying the events were on a world-class level that promoted North Macedonia internationally.