North Macedonia PM Hristijan Mickoski discusses coalition talks and warns of up to 250,000 missing residents

On June 18, 2026, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski met with leaders of the ZNAM movement, including Goran Minçev, to discuss the reconstruction of the North Macedonian government. Minçev said the talks would assess all levels of ministerial and senior civil‑service appointments, noting that the ZNAM‑VMRO‑DPMNE coalition had previously agreed on a four‑year partnership and reaffirmed its opposition to any constitutional change. He added that ZNAM is prepared to call early elections if necessary.

In the same period, Mickoski warned that North Macedonia faces a serious demographic challenge. He told a podcast that the country could lose between 150,000 and 250,000 working‑age residents over the next 25 years as young people migrate to Western Europe. Mickoski stressed that long‑term economic policies and efforts to retain youth are essential, and that the labor gap might eventually be filled by third‑country workers.