The leader of North Macedonia’s opposition SDSM party, Venko Filipce, has called for a referendum on whether the country should continue its path toward European Union membership, arguing that citizens must directly decide the issue rather than political leaders. Speaking at a press conference, Filipce said the public should determine “whether they want to pay the price for the criminal policy of Hristijan Mickoski,” referring to the prime minister, whom he accuses of blocking the country’s EU accession process.