Nikola Gruevski

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

Nikola Gruevski (2011)

Nikola Gruevski ( Macedonian Никола Груевски; born August 31, 1970 in Skopje ) is a fugitive North Macedonian politician convicted of corruption . Between 2006 and 2016 he was Prime Minister of North Macedonia and from 2003 to 2017 chairman of his party VMRO-DPMNE .

Life

education

Gruevski completed a bachelor's degree in economics at St. Clement Ohridski University in Bitola in 1994 . In 1996 he graduated from the London Securities & Investment Institute. As part of this training, he interned in 1996 for a considerable time at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and several investment banks worldwide, including in Frankfurt am Main . Gruevski received his Master of Science degree in Economics from the University of Skopje in 2006 .

Political career

From 1999 to September 2002 he was first foreign trade and then finance minister in the government of Ljubčo Georgievski . During his time as minister he gained profile through two important initiatives: the introduction of value added tax , a basis for the currency and budgetary stability of North Macedonia as well as for an economic upswing, and the introduction of a label for North Macedonian quality products.

After the VMRO-DPMNE lost the election in 2002, Gruevski became party chairman on May 1, 2003. He implemented a moderate, Europe-friendly course - against the opposition of his predecessor and former mentor Ljubčo Georgievski - and reorganized the party as a modern European people's party, which has had observer status in the EPP since May 2007 .

Under the chairmanship of Gruevski, VMRO-DPMNE became the strongest party in the parliamentary elections on July 6, 2006; it formed a government coalition with the Albanian party DPA, the New Social Democrats (NSDP) and the liberal DOM. Gruevski was elected Prime Minister on August 25, 2006. He appointed several young politicians to his government, including North Macedonians who grew up and / or trained abroad.

Prime Minister

The Gruevski government gained sympathy and reputation among the population , in particular with the introduction of a flat tax , a vigorous fight against corruption and intensive solicitation of foreign investments and the expansion of the education system.

Parallel to this modernization of North Macedonia, the government also pursued a new course in cultural policy (preservation of historical roots; making the country's archaeological treasures accessible; respecting the religious holidays of the various faith communities) with the aim of strengthening the country's national identity and integrity.

In foreign policy, the country's integration into the EU and membership in NATO have priority. Both goals are burdened by the controversy over the name of Macedonia with Greece, which has simmered since the independence of North Macedonia in 1992 . North Macedonia's admission to NATO during the Bucharest summit in April 2008 was prevented despite massive American support from the then Greek government ( Karamanlis II cabinet ), as Karamanlis reacted to Gruevski's inflexible stance with a Greek veto: "No solution, then none Invitation". Domestically, Gruevski had to struggle with the sharp antagonism between the leading parties of the Albanian minority in the country and a temporary blockade policy of the social democratic opposition . The DPA and DUI of the former irregular leader Ahmeti are competing for the political representation of the Albanian ethnic group, who make up around 25 percent of the population.

Bills affecting the Albanian minority did not find the necessary double majority in parliament among those representing these minorities. Although it was possible to bring all parties in the government and the opposition together on a common political line on the question of names, demands by the two small coalition partners DPA and NSDP led to several government crises and ultimately to the dissolution of parliament and early elections in 2008.

Gruevski went into these elections in summer 2008 as the leader of a coalition of his VMRO-DPMNE with small parties in the center and the parties of the smaller ethnic groups of the Turks, Serbs, Roma, Bosniaks and Vlachs. During the election campaign, Gruevski presented himself as an economic reformer and defender of Macedonian identity and won the early parliamentary election on June 1, 2008 (48.78% of the vote, 52.5% of the seats).

Strengthened by the election victory, Gruevski negotiated the formation of a government with both Albanian parties and finally concluded a coalition with the stronger Albanian party DUI and the small party of North Macedonian Muslims PEI . The coalition has a two-thirds majority in parliament and also has a majority of minority MPs (double majority). Relations with neighboring Bulgaria and Greece deteriorated during his first term in office.

Gruevski was confirmed in his office as Prime Minister on July 26, 2008 and June 5, 2011 . On May 3, 2015, during the 15th VMRO-DPMNE Congress, he was confirmed as its party leader by 528 of the 529 delegates.

As part of the Pržino Agreement between the political parties represented in Parliament, Gruevski resigned from the office of Prime Minister on January 14, 2016. Parliamentary elections were originally scheduled for April 2016, but they have been postponed. The official business was temporarily taken over by Emil Dimitriev (VMRO-DPMNE), a close confidante of Gruevski.

Legal proceedings

On May 23, 2018, Gruevski was sentenced to two years in prison for corruption in a first trial. He did not show up for detention, but fled to Hungary in November 2018, where he applied for asylum. A week later the application was granted.

family

Gruevski has been married to Borkica Gruevska (née Manceva) since May 12, 2007. Both have a daughter together.

criticism

The political scientist Sašo Ordanovski describes Nikola Gruevski as a classic populist .

It was also controversial among the population. In the last months of his reign there were protests. For a long time there were allegations against him and his government (especially from the opposition) of abuse of power and election fraud. His condemnation, however, is viewed as political persecution and witch-hunt by party friends and confidants.

Fonts

• Nikola Gruevski, Sam Vaknin: Macedonian Economy on a Crossroads . NIP Noval Literatura, Skopje 1998, ISBN 9989-610-01-0 .

Web links

Commons : Nikola Gruevski  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• London Securities & Investment Institute
• curriculum vitae

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Semra Jakupi: Nikolla Gruevski u rizgjodh si kryetar i VMRO-DPMNE-së (Nikola Gruevski is re-elected as chairman of the VMRO-DPMNE). (No longer available online.) In: Alsat-M . May 3, 2015, archived from the original on May 5, 2015 ; Retrieved May 3, 2015 (Albanian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ Alsat-M : Dorëhiqet Nikolla Gruevski (Nikola Gruevski resigns). (No longer available online.) January 14, 2016, archived from the original on January 19, 2016 ; Retrieved January 19, 2016 (Albanian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ Top Channel : Pasuesi i Gruevskit: Zgjedhjet e lira, objektivi ynë (Gruevski's successor: Free elections our goal). January 19, 2016, accessed January 19, 2016 (Albanian). 
4. ^ Deutsche Welle : Gruevski was imprisoned for two years. May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018 . 
5. ↑ Ex-head of government flees to Hungary. In: tagesschau.de . November 13, 2018, accessed November 20, 2018.
6. ^ Ex-Prime Minister Gruevski receives asylum in Hungary. In: tagesschau.de , November 20, 2018.
7. ↑ Sorniza Stoilowa: Back, zuu-uurück. (from the Bulgarian Назад, на-а-а-зад ...) in Capital on May 11, 2012; Quote: Груевски е класически популист. Те мислеха, че ще са много успешни икономически, без да разберат, че за да тръгне икономиката, тук трябва всичко в политиката да е наред "казва политологът Сашо Ордановски.
8. ↑ Europe's next crisis state. In: spiegel.de. May 20, 2015, accessed December 27, 2018 . 
9. ^ Emil Dimitriev is the new Prime Minister of Macedonia. In: derStandard.at. January 19, 2016, accessed June 4, 2016 . 
10. ↑ Nikola Gruevski is a victim of political persecution and witch-hunt that the international and criminal authoirities are leading against him. In: republika.mk. November 12, 2018, accessed November 13, 2018 . 
11. ↑ Gruevski is victim of a witch-hunt meant to distract the public from government failures. In: republika.mk. November 12, 2018, accessed November 13, 2018 .