Skopje, 31 October 2025 (MIA) - In the municipalities where SDSM has no candidate in Sunday’s runoff vote, every citizen, party member and sympathizer has a right to decide according to their own conviction, based on which candidate embodies values close to the social democratic idea and values of honest governance, respect, equality, and development, said SDSM leader Venko Filipche at a press conference Friday.

Filipche said the party would not make any calculations or backroom deals over support for candidates in those municipalities. He stressed that there is also no formal cooperation nor talks with any party over the runoff vote in the capital, which will see VMRO-DPMNE's Orce Gjorgjievski clash with Levica’s Amar Mecinovikj. 

“We have no formal cooperation nor talks with any party, not with VMRO-DPMNE nor with Levica. Our members and sympathizers should decide on the basis of who they think can do a better job leading the city,” Filipche told journalists. 

The leader of the country's main opposition party said SDSM's candidates who fought for a runoff in 17 municipalities demonstrated what it means to run a good campaign, but, he said, "they face pressure, intimidation, and institutional abuses by VMRO-DPMNE and ZNAM".

"Both during the first round and over the past two weeks we have witnessed continued pressure on our candidates and activists by the police, the rapid deployment units, the social services, the Public Revenue Office, and we have detected this literally in all municipalities, especially intensified in 17 municipalities ahead of the runoff. It is clear that this is characteristic for VMRO-DPMNE, to always abuse the state apparatus whenever they are in power and to try to bribe the citizens," Filipche said.

At the press conference, Filipche urged a high voter turnout and requested maximum support for SDSM’s candidates, assessing that by electing the party's candidates, the citizens will gain mayors who will work exclusively in their interest and be accountable to them.

“In the runoff we are requesting the support of all citizens and voters regardless of who they voted for in the first round. I urge all candidates and their supporters who didn’t make it to the runoff to join this fight in support of these values,” Filipche said.

Filipche said “the trend of declining support for the ruling coalition” should continue in the runoff.

“This was evident in the first round, VMRO-DPMNE lost over 140.000 votes in a year and a half, which is a clear indicator that the pro-opposition mood is growing. We expect this to intensify after the elections since the government failed to provide a solution for the citizens’ problems,” Filipche said.