Skopje, 1 May 2024 (MIA) - SDSM presidential candidate Stevo Pendarovski has called on all citizens who supported the candidates failing to advance to the runoff and those who did not vote in the first round to support his concept if they identify themselves with it.

In a TV duel, Pendarovski criticizes VMRO-DPMNE candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova and party leader Hristijan Mickoski for behind-the-curtain party deals in order to get support in the May 8 runoff.

Pendarovski says Mickoski claimed during the campaign he has already struck a deal with prospective coalition partners, and that he talked to candidates Maksim Dimitrievski and Arben Taravari over their support for the VMRO-DPMNE candidate, "which shows their dependancy from centers of political and financial power".

Pendarovski hopes to attract citizens by directly calling for their vote not through partisan support, recalling that both he and Siljanovska-Davkova collected signatures from citizens in order to demonstrate their civil component for the presidential nomination.

"Siljanovska rejected those signatures from the citizens and was nominated by the MP signatures. It is logical that the party leader seeks the support from other party leaders, since she is not supported by citizens but the party," notes Pendarovski.

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