N. Macedonia vote set to ramp up tensions with neighbours

(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).