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The Left (North Macedonia)

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The Left
Левица
Levica
PresidentDimitar Apasiev
FoundedNovember 2015
HeadquartersSkopje
Ideology
Political positionFar-left[1][2]
International affiliationWorld Anti-Imperialist Platform[3]
Assembly
6 / 120
Mayors
0 / 81
Local councils
49 / 1,333
Skopje city council
4 / 45
Website
levica.mk

The Left (Macedonian: Левица, romanized: Levica) is a far-left,[1] nationalist and eurosceptic political party in North Macedonia.[4] Led by Dimitar Apasiev,[5][6] a Docent of Law at the Goce Delčev University of Štip,[7] the party is anti-NATO and promotes anti-clericalism, anti-fascism, anti-imperialism, and socialism. They have a youth wing called Red Youth (Macedonian: Црвена Младина)

Foundation and ideology

[edit]

The Left was founded on November 2015.[8][9][10] It says that it was formed by three principal movements: the Communist Party of Macedonia, the movement Solidarity, and the Movement for Social Justice "Lenka", which its parliamentary leader Dimitar Apasiev belongs to.[8] The party was founded during the Macedonian political crisis and before the so-called Colorful Revolution.[11] It defines itself as a party advocating labour rights and social justice, while opposing "inter-ethnic barriers" and ethnic nationalism.[8][12] Its party statute lists a "movement towards socialism", socialist patriotism, anti-imperialism, and secularism as its founding values.[13] Internally, the party has declared its intention to structure itself along the lines of democratic centralism.[5] As a radical left party, it has been proud of its anti-fascism and nurtures the traditions of Yugoslav socialism.[14] The party has local branches in 21 cities and municipalities.[15]

Nationalism and minority rights

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The Left has spoken out against Albanian nationalism in North Macedonia and has opposed the expansion of the Albanian language into North Macedonia's judicial system, dubbing it "an expansionist blast of Albanian nationalism" in favour of the Albanian Democratic Union for Integration, which it considers a "criminal party". The party deemed the law as only increasing the ethnic rift in North Macedonia, which they opined ought to be a country run by a civic nationalism, rather than ethnic nationalism character, which they deem would lead to good inter-ethnic relations. It has come out against what it dubbed a division into Macedonian and Albanian blocs in the country,[16] defining itself as a "supra-ethnic" party.[17]

The Left's political program continues to refer to the country as the Republic of Macedonia instead of the constitutional "Republic of North Macedonia" as negotiated in the Prespa agreement.[18] Balkan Insight has accused The Left of borrowing policies from the far right.[19] In September 2020, the party's leader Apasiev testified at the Public Prosecutor's Office in Skopje after receiving three criminal charges for spreading racial, religious, and ethnic intolerance.[20] Per political scientist Ivo Bosilkov, "Levica can be classified as a valenced/polyvalent populist party, and if it exhibits any tendency according to the ideological-populist spectrum, it is skewed towards populism of a right-wing nature."[1]

Foreign policy

[edit]

The Left has vehemently opposed the Prespa agreement and the renaming of the Republic of Macedonia into the Republic of North Macedonia, instead supporting a state-sponsored international campaign for full UN membership under the country's old name.[21] It has also dismissed the renaming of the country as unconstitutional, and as such should be revoked.[22] It has declared its intention to void the agreement, should it come into power in North Macedonia.[23] It has also announced that it would only take part in a coalition government if that government would renounce the Prespa agreement.[6] The party's main reason for opposing the name change is its feeling that the deal is only intended to bring the country closer to NATO's influence, which they see as an imperialist organisation, as well as saying the deal completely absolves Greece of any past actions against Macedonians.[24]

The Left is accused of being "anti-western".[25] The party opposes NATO, which they accuse of starting imperialist wars and of being a threat to world peace. On this basis, it has called for the suspension of accession of North Macedonia to NATO.[26] It has dubbed North Macedonia's foreign minister Nikola Dimitrov's recognition of Juan Guaidó as the interim President of Venezuela as a "typical stance of a vassalistic and subordinate country that has completely lost its sovereignty as an independent state".[27] The party has supported Nicolás Maduro as President of Venezuela, as it considers him democratically elected.[28]

The Left supports for North Macedonia to become a neutral country and a "principle of zero problems with neighbouring countries". The latter it defines as "solving problems without bringing historical baggage", friendly relations with Balkans countries and a principle of self-determination, which they opine gives all people the right to define their own name themselves.[29][18] The party's leader has stated in an interview that North Macedonia's membership in the European Union might potentially be a positive thing, but that the country should stay out if the cost of membership was a change in its name and identity.[22] In their 2020 general election program, the party put forward the idea that North Macedonia should "withdraw the recognition of the State of Israel, Kosovo, and South Korea", while supporting the independence of the State of Palestine, Catalonia, and the Basque Country. They also suggested a review of the Friendship Agreement between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, as they consider parts of it to amount to historical revisionism and a "rehabilitation of fascism".[30]

The party supports Russia's war in Ukraine,[31] thus opposes the sanctions imposed against Russia,[25] and espouses ultra-nationalist rhetoric about Macedonian-Albanian and Macedonian-Bulgarian relations.[32] Levica also claims North Macedonia should consider an alternative to the EU the Eurasian pact and the BRICS, implying that Russia is the other alternative to the EU.[33]

Social and environmental issues

[edit]

The Left has opposed the government of Zoran Zaev and his Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), accusing them of an "unbecoming attitude"[21] and later of electoral fraud and blackmail.[34] It also opposed the previous government of Nikola Gruevski, whom they consider an "autocrat", as well as his VMRO-DPMNE.[10]

The Left has declared a principled opposition to conservatism, clericalism, and patriarchy.[17] It is supportive of LGBT rights in the country.[35] The party celebrates and organises rallies for the Victory Day over fascism on 9 May, being the only Macedonian political party to organize events for the non-official holiday.[36]

The Left has described North Macedonia as undergoing an "ecological cataclysm", which they consider a direct result of the "political and social catastrophe that is happening to all spheres of daily life".[37] Its electoral program declares support for free healthcare and universal education, and considers neoliberalism and "wild capitalism" to be the root of most of North Macedonia's economic problems.[18][29] It views healthcare and education, as well as economic growth and organized labour as the "biggest enemies of terrorism" in North Macedonia.[18]

Electoral performance

[edit]
Assembly of North Macedonia
Year Popular vote % of popular vote Overall seats won Seat change Government
2016 12,120 1.05%
0 / 120
 New No seats
2020 37,426 4.13%
2 / 120
 Increase 2 Opposition
2024 67,338 6.75%
6 / 120
 Increase 4 Opposition
Municipalities of North Macedonia
Year Councillorships won Mayoralities won Councillorship change Mayoralty change
2017 3 0 New New
2021 49 0 Increase 46

References

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  1. ^ a b c Bosilkov, Ivo (2021). "The State for Which People? The (Not So) Left Populism of the Macedonian Far-Left Party Levica". Contemporary Southeastern Europe. 8 (1): 40–55. doi:10.25364/02.8:2021.1.4. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  2. ^ Aneta Cekikj; Klaudia Koxha; Reinhard Heinisch, eds. (2024). Perspectives on Populism: Diverse Voices from the European “Periphery”. Nomos. p. 275. ISBN 9783756012008.
  3. ^ "Statement about the solidarity with peoples of Serbia against imperialist occupation of Kosovo". World Anti-Imperialist Platform. 17 December 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  4. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2020). "North Macedonia". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b 365.com.mk (16 December 2019). ""Левица" ја менува структурата, за прв претседател избран Димитар Апасиев". 365.com.mk (in Macedonian). Retrieved 23 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b "Левица ќе коалицира за влада само со оној што ќе го поништи Преспанскиот договор". Фокус (in Macedonian). 17 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Апасиев: Договорот за името треба да го склучи претседателот, а не премиерот". Lider.mk (in Macedonian). Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Левица (20 October 2015). "Покана за прес – Формирање на "ЛЕВИЦА"". Левица (in Macedonian). Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Формирана Левица – нова политичка партија". А1он. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  10. ^ a b "New Macedonia Party Aims for Left-Wing Revival". Balkan Insight. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  11. ^ Arianna Piacentini (2019). ""Trying to Fit In": Multiethnic Parties, Ethno- Clientelism, and Power-Sharing in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia". Ethnic Politics. 25 (3): 279. doi:10.1080/13537113.2019.1639426. ISSN 1557-2986.
  12. ^ ""Левица": Ќе се бориме за социјална правда, демократизација и против меѓуетничките бариери". МКД.мк (in Macedonian). Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  13. ^ СТАТУТ НА ЛЕВИЦА (PDF). 2019. p. 2.
  14. ^ Jody Jensen, ed. (2021). Memory Politics and Populism in Southeastern Europe. Taylor & Francis. p. 168. ISBN 9781003109297.
  15. ^ Manuela Caiani; Ondřej Císař, eds. (2019). Radical Right Movement Parties in Europe. Routledge. p. 221. ISBN 9781138566712.
  16. ^ "На иницијатива на Левица, Уставниот суд оформи предмет за оценување на Законот за јазиците". МКД.мк (in Macedonian). Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  17. ^ a b "ENGLISH". Левица (in Macedonian). 20 October 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  18. ^ a b c d "ПРОГРАМА". Левица (in Macedonian). Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  19. ^ "North Macedonia's Left Party Borrows Heavily From Right". Balkan Insight. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  20. ^ Апасиев со контрапријави до оние што го пријавија за ширење говор на омраза. 360степени. 16 септември, 2020.
  21. ^ a b "Тристранен отпор срещу идеята за ново име на Македония". www.economic.bg (in Bulgarian). 20 May 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  22. ^ a b "Интервју на "Лидер" со Димитар Апасиев: Секоја наредна влада ќе има право да го раскине договорот Димитров-Коѕијас!". LIDER (in Macedonian). 6 January 2019.
  23. ^ "Левица: Поданичкиот однос спрема шовинисткичките политики на странскиот фактор е погубен за Македониjа". iPortal (in Macedonian). 25 October 2019.
  24. ^ "Levica: a left case for boycott of the referendum on the Macedonia name dispute – Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières". www.europe-solidaire.org. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Der Russische Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine – Reaktionen auf dem Westbalkan". Konrad Adenauer Foundation (in German). March 2022. p. 7. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  26. ^ "Левица: По самитот на НАТО, има ли крај на понижувањата од македонската дипломатија". МКД.мк (in Macedonian). Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  27. ^ "Позицијата на македонската Левица за состојбата во Венецуела". Антропол (in Macedonian). 12 March 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  28. ^ "Левица: Поддршка за венецуелскиот народ во борбата против империјализмот!". Антропол (in Macedonian). 23 January 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  29. ^ a b "Интервју со Димитар Апасиев: Левица го задава последниот удар на режимот!". okno.mk. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  30. ^ "Levica programa pdf 2020" (PDF). levica.mk (in Macedonian). 11 June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  31. ^ Sinisa Jakov Marusic (18 March 2022). "North Macedonia's Left Condemned for Aligning with Russia on Ukraine". Balkan Insight. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022.
  32. ^ Xhelal Neziri, Russia’s influence in North Macedonia (RNM) and Bulgaria – an obstacle to unlock the Eurointegration Process. The Geopost, 05.04.2022.
  33. ^ From Levica through Rodina to GROM and MAAK: Who are Moscow’s megaphones in the country. April 24, 2024, ЗНМ.
  34. ^ Левица (8 February 2020). "Класичен предизборен поткуп и уцена од страна на владеjaчката СДСМ". Левица (in Macedonian). Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  35. ^ "Левица". s-front.org.mk. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  36. ^ Гласник (14 May 2018). "Антикомунизмот на победниците од студената војна". Гласник (in Macedonian). Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  37. ^ "Левица:Без радикална политичка промена невозможна е еколошката промена". Антропол (in Macedonian). 31 October 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
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