I, not only as a politician and PM, but also as a citizen, appeal to the opposition to stop manipulating people in this manner, putting them into a state of uncertainty what might happen in the next year, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski told reports on Sunday in regard to difficulties over adoption of a next year's state budget.

"The New Year is arriving and many people, instead of being relaxed, preparing for welcoming it, live under a burden whether there will be salaries, pensions, subsidies next year, wandering if ongoing construction of some hospital is to be completed...Hence, I appeal (to the opposition) if they don't like Nikola Gruevski or VMRO-DPMNE let them argue with us, attack us...That is a political battle and I will defend myself, respond to everything and explain all of my actions. But if they continue in this manner to hold as hostages the citizens, two million living souls - Macedonians, Turks, Roma, Serbs, Bosniacs, Vlachs - that is not good," Gruevski told reporters after the cornerstone-laying ceremony for construction of technological-industrial development zone in Gevgelija.

Such opposition's behaviour is inappropriate and harmful for the country and its citizens, he added.

"They cannot put the citizens in such situation and therefore I Nikola Gruevski, as citizen, individual, one who wishes for the country to move forward, realize new projects and create better ambiance for living, appeal to (the opposition) to stop acting like this, because in such manner they will neither score political points nor advance as a party. On the contrary, they will lose a lot of political points, as people are aware of what has been happening," the PM said.

Both parties, he said, offered their programmes at the elections and the majority of citizens voted for the one, presented by VMRO-DPMNE. Consequently, the budget should be adopted as support of that programme the citizens embraced only year and a half ago, Gruevski added.