The main goal of the Academy is to strengthen the knowledge and skills of politically engaged young people and motivate their future participation in policy-making at the local and national level.
The Academy was opened by Daniel Braun, Official representative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, who emphasized that the cooperation between KAS and VMRO-DPMNE continues on several different levels. At the same time, he emphasized that this cooperation should contribute to the creation of new leaders within the right-wing parties, for progress and new opportunities for both the state and society. Braun underlined the support that KAS provides for strengthening the capacities of several structures from VMRO-DPMNE, as well as the direct support to the leadership of the party.
The President of VMRO-DPMNE, Hristijan Mickoski, who, thanking the cooperation with KAS, emphasized the enormous importance of investing in the next generation of political leaders. "These are great events for all of us, and I extend my gratitude to the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for always supporting our efforts" among the other things Mickoski said. At such events, according to Mickoski, knowledge and experiences are transferred to serve the progress, which should be the main motive of young and successful politicians. "Only by continuously investing in the generations to come can we be better politicians," Mickoski concluded.
Stefan Andonovski, Secretary for International Cooperation of VMRO-DPMNE and Head of the Party Research and Analytical Center “Ljubisa Georgievski”, also spoke at the opening, emphasizing that this module is just the beginning for the creation new leaders who will successfully lead the party and the country. Andonovski indicated that he hopes that this way of working will bring results so that much more for the country can be done in order to change for better the current affairs and conditions in the Macedonian society.
After the welcoming addresses, the four vice-presidents of VMRO-DPMNE, Aleksandar Nikoloski, Gordana Dimitrieska Kochoska, Vlado Misajlovski and Timco Mucunski participated in a panel discussion. Each from their own aspect, they talked about their story in terms of building leadership and their personal profile, concentrating on leadership in times of political, financial, economic, infrastructural crises, as well as the situation in Macedonian society.
The second day of the training included quality presentations by domestic experts in the field of the political system, constitutional law and elections.
The day was opened by Aleksandar Spasenovski Professor at the Faculty of Law in Skopje, and former Member of Parliament. In an interactive way, Spasenovski outlined the theoretical foundations of political science, as well as the Macedonian constitutional order. He paid particular attention to the concept of separations of power, as well as the characteristics of each of the authorities.
Special guest within the first module of the Academy was Professor Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, prominent professor of constitutional law and political system, Member of Parliament and former candidate for President of the country. In the dynamic discussion with the attendees, Siljanovska Davkova referred to the nuances of the Macedonian political system, analyzing the differences between theory and political practice.
The second day was closed with an interesting presentation about the elections as a driving force of the political system, the demands and needs of the citizens and the motivations to participate in the electoral process, by the political analyst and member of the Executive Committee of VMRO-DPMNE, Saso Klekovski.
The final day of the first module of the Political Academy was opened by former MP Ilija Dimovski. Dimovski concentrated on building the profile of a contemporary politician, focusing on the ideological component of center-right political parties. Dimovski also moderated the workshop in which profiles of famous leaders from the Balkan neighborhood were analyzed, highlighting their characteristics of a leader's profile.
Marina Dimovska, Associate in the Committees on European Affairs and Foreign Policy in the Macedonian Assembly, spoke about central issues in the field of building political integrity, especially focusing on the integrity of MPs in the Assembly and the method of their election.
In the part of concluding observations of the training, fruitful discussions were concluded by Davor Pasoski, from Konrad Adenauer Foundation and Stefan Andonovski, Head of the Party Research and Analytical Center “Ljubisa Georgievski”. This part included a discussion with the participants regarding the needs and priorities of the Political Academy. In that sense, KAS and VMRO-DPMNE continue with the extremely fruitful joint cooperation.
In addition to KAS, the modules of the Political Academy are supported by other VMRO-DPMNE partners such as IFES, which is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).
