Skopje, 27 May 2024 (MIA) - SDSM’s Executive Board at its session on Monday decided to convene extraordinary intra-party elections for the president of SDSM on June 30 (Sunday) following the resignation of Dimitar Kovachevski from the post.

“According to the deadlines in the party's statute, there will be sufficient time for the preparation of candidacies and programs, presentation of candidates to the membership, and active registration,” SDSM said in a press release.

Additionally, it is noted that at a meeting to be held on Thursday, May 30, SDSM’s Central Board is required to adopt the regulations on the criteria, procedures, and timetable for conducting the procedure at the highest democratic level by the Central Election Commission.

“Today, we're convening the Executive Board meeting, which essentially extends last week's session. The working groups tasked with organizing the congress are expected to come with concrete schedules,” Dimitar Kovachevski said at the beginning of the session. Kovachevski resigned from the leadership position last week following the defeat in the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Asked whether he will run for a new term as party president, Kovachevski replied that he will not run.

Sanja Lukarevska, who resigned from her position as deputy president of the party, expects that at the meeting, the path forward will be determined in terms of establishing the upcoming steps, which include holding the Central Board, a congress, and initiating the procedure for nominating the president of SDSM.

In response to a question about his potential candidacy for the party's top position, Fatmir Bytyqi, who recently stepped down as vice president of SDSM, stated that it's premature to make such a decision.

Petre Shilegov also considers it premature to discuss candidacy, emphasizing that the priority is, as he puts it, to tackle the retrograde processes already underway in the society.

In response to a journalist's question, Parliament Speaker and member of SDSM, Jovan Mitreski, stated before the session that he has no intention of running for the position of party president.

Current Defense Minister Slavjanka Petrovska and Jovan Despotovski, who heads the Directorate for Technological Industrial Development Zones, are considering running for the party’s leadership. The names of Venko Filipche and Stefan Bogoev are also circulating in the media as potential candidates in the race for the leadership of SDSM.

SDSM leader Dimitar Kovachevski officially resigned from the post of party president on May 22 at the party’s Executive Board session. 

He has requested that the party convene a congress and organize internal elections.

At its session, SDSM’s Executive Board obliged the party's Central Election Commission to propose deadlines for the holding of direct intra-party elections in June.

Photo: SDSM