Hungary confirms asylum request from fugitive former Macedonian PM

BUDAPEST: Hungary confirmed on Wednesday that it has received a request for political asylum from fugitive former Macedonia prime minister Nikola Gruevski, a day after he said on Facebook that he had fled a prison sentence for abuse of power.

Budapest said it will consider the application from Gruevski, who dominated Macedonia for nearly a decade until 2016, in a move likely to enrage Skopje, which has issued an international warrant for the former premier’s arrest after he failed to show up for his two-year jail term.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s office confirmed that Gruevski “has submitted an asylum request” and had declared that he intends to “submit a request for refugee status in Hungary”.

“Given that he was prime minister of his country for 10 years, for security reasons the Hungarian authorities have allowed Mr Gruevski to have his asylum request submitted and heard at the headquarters of the Immigration and Asylum Office in Budapest,” it added.

Budapest declined to reveal details of Gruevski’s whereabouts, or how the Macedonian — who has been stripped of his passport — entered Hungary.

The confirmation came a day after Gruevski said he had fled to the Hungarian capital.

“I am now in Budapest, where I have requested political asylum from the Hungarian authorities,” the 48-yearold wrote on his official Facebook page.

Skopje has called on Budapest not to grant his request. — AFP