Zdravko Saveski: Pyrrhic victory: the role of the civil society in the anti-government protests in Macedonia (2014-2016) and its implications

The previous conservative government of Macedonia (2006-2016) was corrupt, illiberal and increasingly authoritarian. The people feared it. After long years of ineffective resistance to its policies, the wave of protests from late 2014, and disclosure of wiretapping scandal in early 2015 have shaken the government. Civil society activists played crucial role in legitimizing the struggle against the government and in providing leading figures for the protests. But, after the previous government was voted out of power, the behavior of many prominent civil society activists towards the new government was not in line with the common perception how civil society activists should behave.

The lecture will try to explain the role of the civil society in the anti-government protests, the reasons for worsening the image of civil society activists and the need to rethink the dichotomy between civil society organizations and political parties.