The parliamentary elections in Hungary have drawn widespread attention in North Macedonia, and the issue of the possible extradition of former North Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who was granted asylum in Hungary in 2018, has come into the public spotlight after election winner Peter Magyar stated that Hungary would no longer grant asylum to individuals sought by judicial authorities in other countries, specifically mentioning Gruevski by name.
The former Prime Minister of North Macedonia fled the country after receiving a prison sentence.
At a press conference on Tuesday, opposition SDSM leader Venko Filipche greeted Magyar’s statement and asked what Gruevski would do now, whether he would flee to Russia or elsewhere, or return to serve his sentence.Â
Filipche asked whether the VMRO-DPMNE government had filed a request for Gruevski’s extradition. If not, why had such a request not been filed and would it be submitted.
“If former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski returns from Budapest to North Macedonia, he will go to prison. Specific policies, including those related to him, are a decision of the Hungarian government,” Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said, after attending a ceremony marking the anniversary of the country’s Customs Administration.Â
Mickoski recalled that an extradition request had been filed as early as 2018 but was rejected in 2019 because Gruevski had been granted asylum in Hungary.
“When it comes to people who have been granted asylum, there is a clear procedure,” Mickoski said, referring the media to Justice Minister Igor Filkov for further details.
“Every person has the right to appeal, but we as a state have a final court ruling sending Gruevski to serve his sentence in prison. As for when and if he will return, I have no expectations,” Mickoski said.
Nikola Gruevski, who served as Prime Minister of North Macedonia from 2006 to January 2016, was sentenced in 2018 to two years in prison for unlawfully influencing interior ministry officials to purchase a luxury vehicle worth EUR 600,000.Â
The results of the Hungarian elections sparked mixed reactions in North Macedonia.Â
On Tuesday, during his statement to journalists, Mickoski congratulated Peter Magyar on his election victory, expressing his expectation that Magyar will pursue a pro-European policy and provide strong support for the European integration of the region, including North Macedonia.
The opposition leader, for his part, described the results of the Hungarian election as “a historic victory for democracy and the rule of law, with a strong message for the entire region” in the Western Balkans and accused the government of Hristijan Mickoski of placing North Macedonia’s strategic interests in Orban’s hands.
“Telecommunications, energy, media, and finance, everything was linked to Orban’s circle,” Filipche said, adding that the SDSM wants “a full investigation into all business dealings between Orban and Mickoski”.