Skopje, 16 February 2024 (MIA) - Doors of the European front are open for all those who share the EU accession values and closed for political parties that have alternative options to EU membership, SDSM leader Dimitar Kovachevski has told MIA.

Asked if SDSM would enter into coalition with former member Maksim Dimitrievski, the incumbent Kumanovo Mayor and founder of the ZNAM party, Kovachevski says Dimitrievski's campaign is based on opposing his own.

"Maksim Dimitrievski was a long-standing SDSM member who, at one point of time, decided to form his own party. He was supported by VMRO-DPMNE and other political parties at the last local elections and managed to win the polls, followed by the formation of his own political party. I cannot say anything at this time about coalitions with his political party or other parties, considering their public appearances in which they want to make a distinction from what they were all their lives," says Kovachevski.

The SDSM leader depicts the situation of basing one's campaign "on being against your own" with an anecdote, saying political parties had emerged from SDSM in the past as well but eventually ended up in the SDSM fold again, where they belong, or in coalition with SDSM.

"Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan told this anecdote. There was a man dreaming of the 5 number every night. He was an ardent gambler on horse racing and was certain that since he was dreaming the number 5 all the time, this must be his lucky number. So he put all of his money on the race number 5, the horse and the jockey in lane 5, even the horse's name was 5x5. At the end, the horse finished the race in fifth place. This is how these situations end, when a person bets against his own. We'll see how things pan out at the elections," says Kovachevski.

Photo: MIA