Bitola, 28 August 2025 (MIA) -- Prime Minister and VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski said Thursday his party was getting ready to win the October local elections by a landslide so the country's reforms could continue unimpeded.

"As a political party and as a coalition, we have a clear and strong approach to this campaign because we want to achieve historic results to continue this period of reforms and all that is being built in Macedonia today," PM Mickoski said during a visit to the Bitola coal power plant to mark Macedonian Miners' Day.

He said the current Bitola mayor and VMRO-DPMNE member Toni Konjanovski was already leading in the polls but the party would still try to get as many votes as possible.

"Despite the figures saying Konjanovski will win in the first round and VMRO-DPMNE and the coalition will win a landslide victory, we will put in every effort to win even more votes until the last minute, to convince as many voters to go to the polls, because this is the only way we can confirm the government's reform agenda," he said.

According to Mickoski, the opposition will lose the upcoming elections and will need to restructure itself to become more constructive.

"I recommend they go through an inner catharsis to let go of some, let's say, old times so they can be a constructive opposition and join us in working together in the interest of citizens," he told reporters.

He also said VMRO-DPMNE would reveal the names of other mayoral candidates after its executive committee's sesson scheduled for Sept. 3. mr/