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2 clusters · 24 sources · 1 days · First seen 3 days ago · Last updated 2 days ago

North Macedonia State Lottery contract controversy

Overview

The North Macedonian State Lottery has faced scrutiny regarding its contract with the company Avalon to organize celebrations for the 35th anniversary of national independence. To fulfill the contract, the Lottery issued a public call for offers under the Law on Sponsorship and Donations, a process that allowed it to bypass standard public procurement systems. Avalon, through its company Stardust, was the only entity to respond to the call, which required ‘A-class’ international artists.

Following the contract award, the political party Levica alleged financial mismanagement and favoritism. The party highlighted a payment of 1,850,610 denars made to Stardust DOOEL in February, noting that the company was selected as the sole candidate for the independence program only two months later. Levica further claimed the State Lottery has been used as a political tool, citing various payments to influencers and associations linked to relatives of security personnel and former advisors.

In response to ongoing questions regarding the transparency of these contracts, government spokesperson Marija Miteva clarified that no state budget funds were used for the festivities. She stated that the 300 million denars used for the events, which included a performance by David Guetta, were sourced from the State Lottery’s undistributed profits from 2024.

Political tensions have since expanded to include broader economic disputes. While Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski reported that foreign direct investment has reached approximately 1.4 billion euros over the last 24.5 months, opposition leaders from SDSM have challenged the government's economic narrative. The SDSM accused the administration of increasing public debt by roughly 4 billion euros in two years and reiterated demands for transparency regarding the use of the approximately 5 million euros in lottery profits for the independence celebrations.

Entities

Hristijan Mickoski · Avalon · State Lottery · State Lottery of North Macedonia · LSDM

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[DISPUTED] Venko Filipče accused the government of misusing funds for the 35th independence anniversary celebrations. racin.mk · libertas.mk · tocka.com.mk
[DISPUTED] Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski previously claimed the events cost citizens zero denars. racin.mk · libertas.mk · tocka.com.mk
[● 3 SOURCES] The independence celebrations cost approximately 5 million euros. racin.mk · libertas.mk · tocka.com.mk
[● 3 SOURCES] The State Lottery, which is 100 percent state-owned, was tasked with organizing the program. racin.mk · libertas.mk · tocka.com.mk
[○ 1 SOURCE] The government entrusted the organization of the celebration to the State Lottery on April 28. racin.mk
[○ 1 SOURCE] A public call for bids was issued two days after the government decision using the Law on Sponsorships and Donations rather than the public procurement system. racin.mk
[○ 1 SOURCE] The bid deadline for the event organization was five working days. racin.mk
[○ 1 SOURCE] The program included performances by artists such as David Guetta and Jose Carreras. racin.mk

Timeline

2 days ago

[POLITICS] 3 sources
Levica party alleges State Lottery fund mismanagement
The Levica party has accused the State Lottery of North Macedonia of distributing millions in public funds to politically connected entities and companies linked to the Avalon group without transparency.
3 days ago

[POLITICS] 24 sources
North Macedonia faces political dispute over economic data and event funding
North Macedonia faces political disputes over economic claims and the 5 million euro funding of independence celebrations via State Lottery profits.

Sources

24-ore.com · a1on.mk · almakos.com · ernesthuska.blog.sme.sk · gijotina.com · koha.mk · libertas.mk · lokalno.mk · makpress.mk · novamakedonija.com.mk · portalb.mk · press24.mk · racin.mk · sdsm.org.mk · shenja.tv · tetova1.mk · tetovasot.com · tocka.com.mk · ts.mk · utrinskivesnik.mk · vesnik.com · vmro-dpmne.org.mk · vocentar.com · zhurnal.mk

This summary has been updated 3 times: see revision history