North Macedonia weathered a series of ethnically-charged incidents in 2023, a relatively calm period despite economic hardships, and opens 2024 with the prospect of a politician from the country’s ethnic Albanian minority becoming prime minister

Sashko Nasev, ambassador at the North Macedonian embassy to China, won the Global Fred Award for his contributions on international stages in the field of cultural outreach and education

The country in 2024 saw political change fuel fears of return to ethnic strife as the country’s biggest ethnic Albanian party, long used to power, was relegated to opposition benches and may stir up ethnic tension in a bid to regain its lost status

The Constitutional Court will not rule immediately over the disputed constitutionality of the country’s language 2018 law, but will hold a preparatory meeting soon, to hear international experts’ opinions before making any decisions

The government has approved a second loan of €500 million from Hungary, which will be used to repay a Eurobond issued by the previous government in 2018, due to mature on 25 January 2025