Filipche and Mickoski Again on Guetta: 200,000 Versus 50,000, "Zero Denars" Versus the Lottery

Opposition party SDSM has demanded an immediate inquiry into the money behind the 35th independence anniversary celebrations, including the David Guetta concert, after saying at a press conference that the total cost reached €5.5 million — about €5 million from the State Lottery's undistributed 2024 dividend, plus roughly 40 million denars from private companies.

At the briefing, MP Maja Borozan called for the immediate publication of all contracts, annexes, invoices, bank payments and tax records, along with a full list of recipients, contractors, suppliers and private financiers.

SDSM leader Venko Filipche said earlier in the week that the State Lottery is a wholly state-owned company, meaning the money belongs to citizens and must be spent transparently. He is asking the government to publish the full financial breakdown, including what each performance and the production itself cost.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski has repeatedly said the celebrations cost the Budget "zero denars" and were funded by "socially responsible companies," inviting citizens to check the Open Finance portal themselves. Documents previously published by BIRN show the government assigned the celebration's organisation to the State Lottery on 28 April.

Mickoski separately said the events drew more than 200,000 people by all estimates, and framed the Lottery's reserves as money being "returned to the people, to culture, to artists."

Neither side disputes that the Lottery paid for the events. The argument is over whether money from a wholly state-owned company can fairly be called "zero denars from the Budget," and whether the spending has been transparent enough for citizens to check.

MKNews Hub · Politics · September 14, 2026