Macedonia's Interior Ministry confirmed on Tuesday that former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski had requested "political asylum" in Hungary.
The former premier was due to begin a two-year prison term for corruption charges but did not surrender.
The ministry released a statement saying that they have confirmed he is in Hungary and had requested political asylum.
The Macedonian Foreign Ministry has summoned Hungarian envoy Laszlo Istvan Dux, according to a statement.
In a Facebook post Gruevski wrote he was in Budapest.
"In the last few days I have received countless threats to my life. I am in Budapest now, and I have asked for political asylum from the Hungarian authorities. I will always remain true to the cause of Macedonia. I will never give up," he said.
