Hristijan Mickoski facts for kids
Hristijan Mickoski (born 29 September 1977) is a politician from North Macedonia. He used to be a mechanical engineer and a university professor. Since June 2024, he has been the Prime Minister of North Macedonia. He is also the leader of the political party VMRO-DPMNE. Before becoming Prime Minister, he was the director of the country's power company, Power Plants of Macedonia, and an energy advisor to previous prime ministers.
Quick facts for kids
Hristijan Mickoski
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Христијан Мицкоски
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Prime Minister of North Macedonia | |
| Assumed office 23 June 2024 |
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| President | Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova |
| Preceded by | Talat Xhaferi |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 23 December 2017 – 23 June 2024 |
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| Prime Minister | Zoran Zaev Oliver Spasovski Zoran Zaev Dimitar Kovačevski Talat Xhaferi |
| Preceded by | Nikola Gruevski |
| Succeeded by | Venko Filipče |
| President of VMRO-DPMNE | |
| Assumed office 23 December 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Nikola Gruevski |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 September 1977 Skopje, SR Macedonia, Yugoslavia |
| Political party | VMRO-DPMNE |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje |
| Occupation | Mechanical engineer • Politician |
Contents
Early Life and Education
Hristijan Mickoski was born on 29 September 1977 in Skopje. At that time, Skopje was part of a country called Yugoslavia.
He studied and earned a PhD degree. A PhD is a very high university degree. From 2016 to 2017, he was the director of Power Plants of Macedonia. This is the company that produces electricity for the country. He also taught at universities. In 2011, he was a visiting professor at Vienna's Technical University. Later, he became a regular professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje. From 2015 to 2017, he advised prime ministers Nikola Gruevski and Emil Dimitriev on energy matters.
Political Career
Becoming a Party Leader
After Nikola Gruevski stepped down, Mickoski became the new leader of the VMRO-DPMNE party on 23 December 2017. This made him the leader of the opposition in North Macedonia. The leader of the opposition is the head of the largest political party that is not in power.
Mickoski has said that he and his party want North Macedonia to join the European Union (EU) and NATO. NATO is a military alliance. However, he believes this should happen without giving up important national interests. For example, he has expressed concerns about the Prespa Agreement. This agreement with Greece helped resolve a long-standing name dispute and allowed North Macedonia to join NATO.
In 2022, Mickoski and his party were part of protests against a proposal from France. This proposal was about starting talks for North Macedonia to join the EU. He also suggested a referendum (a public vote) to cancel a friendship treaty with Bulgaria.
Prime Minister (2024–present)
Election and Government
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In the 2024 elections, Mickoski's party, VMRO-DPMNE, won the most seats in the parliament. They formed a government with other parties like the VLEN Coalition and ZNAM. On 6 June, President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova asked Mickoski to form the new government.
On 23 June 2024, he became the 13th Prime Minister of North Macedonia. He promised his government would work to lower taxes, increase pensions, and invest in the economy. He also promised to create new jobs, make textbooks free, and fight against corruption.
When he took office, Mickoski referred to his country as "Macedonia," which caused some discussion. The official name of the country is North Macedonia, agreed upon in the Prespa Agreement. Greece said this went against the agreement and could affect North Macedonia's chances of joining the EU. Mickoski has also stated that his government will not change the country's constitution to recognize the Bulgarian minority, which is a requirement for EU talks.
His government includes members from VMRO-DPMNE, VLEN, ZNAM, and the Democratic Party of Serbs in Macedonia.
International Relations
In July 2024, Mickoski met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at a NATO summit. They discussed an economic agreement for Hungary to provide financial support to North Macedonia.
Mickoski has also talked about transport projects. He suggested focusing on modernizing the railway that links North Macedonia with Hungary, Serbia, and Greece. This railway is part of a larger project called China-CEE. He also said that building another railway, Pan-European Corridor VIII, which would connect North Macedonia with Albania and Bulgaria, was not practical. However, North Macedonia had signed an agreement to build Corridor VIII during the NATO summit. Later, Mickoski's office stated that his government was stopping the construction of Corridor VIII.
Some people believe Mickoski's policies are similar to those of leaders like Viktor Orbán and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. They think this could affect North Macedonia's path towards the EU.
On 20 September 2024, Mickoski said that his country would not accept any more "ultimatums" on its path to joining the EU. On 25 September, the EU decided to separate Albania's EU accession talks from North Macedonia's. This was because of ongoing disagreements between North Macedonia and Bulgaria, especially concerning the Bulgarian minority. Albania continued its path separately in October.
Personal Life
Mickoski is married and has two children. He speaks Macedonian (his native language), English, and some Italian.
See also
In Spanish: Hristijan Mickoski para niños
