Gevgelija, 18 April 2024 (MIA) — SDSM and the European Future coalition are the only option with a clear plan for the country's integration into the EU, SDSM leader Dimitar Kovachevski said at an election rally in Gevgelija.

According to Kovachevski, the opposition only knows how to give up, to spread ethnic divisions, to quarrel with the neighbors, to isolate the state, yet in the end, say that it is everyone else's fault but theirs.

"We saw this in Macedonia for 11 years. That's why your support matters the most now. Every vote helps our children have a better future, have a safer future, have a future in an EU member state. The choice before us is crystal clear. On May 8, you are deciding between hope, a better European future with SDSM and the European Future coalition – or hopelessness, going back to the dark regime past with VMRO-DPMNE," Kovachevski said.

He added that SDSM and their presidential candidate Stevo Pendarovski had progressive ideas and a clear vision for the country's future. The opposition, he said, had no plan or decisiveness.

"When Kiro Gligorov made the decision to enter the UN, they were not there. When Zoran Zaev made the decision to join NATO, they were not there. When protests were held in Skopje for the start of EU negotiations, they were not there when they needed to vote. Even when we signed the Frontex agreement, which for the first time clearly secured the Macedonian language within the EU, even then they were not there," Kovachevski said. 

"That's why the only ones standing at the bulwark of this country's future are SDSM, our coalition partners, and you, the citizens, because you, the citizens, make political parties strong," Kovachevski said.

SDSM Venko Filipce pointed out that the party's policies were "the definition of leadership and patriotism." 

"What did VMRO-DPMNE do in these times of crisis? What was their role in society, what did they do for regular people? They blocked. They blocked laws for financial support of citizens. They blocked anti-crisis measures. They scared citizens amid the covid crisis with fake news. They blocked projects, and of course their main policy is blocking European integration," Filipche said.

SDSM's Jovanka Trenchevska said she was proud that "we showed how to create a society of equal opportunities for all."

"We showed how to create a society with the opportunity of equal social protection and social justice for all. We showed how systemic reforms are created to protect citizens," Trenchevska said. mr/