Skopje, 8 May 2025 (MIA) – SDSM leader Venko Filipche said it is only a matter of time before the coalition collapses, as the political parties involved are clearly not united by anything substantial, commenting on the turmoil within Arben Taravari’s Alliance for Albanians.

Following the opening of a kindergarten in Centar municipality, Filipche told journalists that the latest turmoil in the ruling coalition proves the parties are guided solely by narrow political and financial interests.

“A coalition that is not based on any values and has no idea or vision for leading the country forward, as we witness every day, is destined to failure,” Filipche said.

Asked whether SDSM would work with Arben Taravari’s Alliance for Albanians if he leaves the Government, Filipche said that remains to be seen, depending on future developments.

“We don’t know what Arben Taravari’s next moves will be or whether he will form any coalitions, let’s wait and see. How things will develop is not our concern. At SDSM, we are preparing for the upcoming elections. Our doors and channels of communication are open, we are looking for partners. We have confirmed our coalition of 14 parties, and we have already started creating the candidate lists for all municipalities. Discussions with other possible partners are also starting,” Filipche said.

He noted that his party is “fully prepared for any kind of election cycle in the coming period,” including possible early parliamentary elections.

He did not name any mayoral candidates, saying it would be “unfair to do so while internal party procedures are still underway.”

When asked whether SDSM would form a coalition with DUI for the elections, he said that they would talk to all political parties. However, he noted that “the principles of coalition mean that coalition partners must first respect each other and be in full agreement regarding the programs they promise to the citizens.”

In response to a reporter’s question about whether he would run again for mayor of the Municipality of Centar, Mayor Goran Gerasimovski also replied that party surveys are still ongoing, and once they are completed and “internal party procedures, including proposals and self-nominations, are finished, the party will decide who the next candidates will be, not only for the Municipality of Centar but for all municipalities in the country.”

Filipche was also asked about their survey and the accusations from VMRO-DPMNE that they “fabricated it.” He responded that it is their “large field survey,” from which, he said, they can see “a decline in VMRO-DPMNE’s popularity by several tens of thousands of votes and an initial trend of growth in SDSM’s votes.”

Filipche said the survey would be presented soon and explained that the one cited by VMRO-DPMNE weeks ago did not reflect the true situation. He noted that an independent institute confirmed the trends, which show citizens rejecting the ruling coalition, which came to power through a false patriotic campaign. He emphasized that Macedonia remains pro-Western and pro-liberal, and with new leadership, SDSM is applying the lessons learned to improve the party and the country.

Photo: MIA