Skopje, 24 January 2026 (MIA) - The doors of SDSM are open to every honest social democrat, every worker, and every intellectual who wants what’s best for the country, SDSM leader Venko Filipche said at the opening of the 31st congress in Skopje.

“To beat the threats outside, we must first be strong within. I know there have been turbulence and disappointments. Some left, some came back, and some are still standing on the threshold, thinking. I want to be crystal clear today: the doors of SDSM are wide open to every honest social democrat, every worker, and every intellectual who wants what is best for our country. Here’s my message to those thinking they can sit on two chairs: if you want to be in SDSM but serve the government, form factions, or pursue personal interests, your time is over. Today we end the divisions. SDSM is not a marketplace for positions; it is an army of values. Those ready to fight alongside us are genuinely welcome. Those planning to sabotage us from within, or act as a ‘Trojan horse’ for VMRO or other groups, must leave immediately. We have no time for betrayal or vanity. Either we are together in this battle for the survival of democracy, or we are nothing. I choose that we be everything, a fight that is honest, strong, and sincere,” Filipche noted.

He said there’s no posting on Facebook, the party is out in the field.

“No sitting around. No posting Facebook statuses from comfortable armchairs. SDSM is on the ground. We are going to every city, every village, every neighborhood. We will knock on every door, not to beg for votes, but to awaken Macedonia,” the SDSM leader added.

As Filipche highlighted, SDSM serves as the country’s immune defense system.

“When nationalism starts eroding the fabric of society, we are the remedy. When hatred seeks to divide neighbor from neighbor, we are the binding tissue. When the regime tries to silence free thought, we are the voice that thunders. Across history, whenever darkness fell and fear prevailed, SDSM has been the torch lighting the way forward. That was the case in the 1990s, in 2016, and I assure you, it will be the case today,” Filipche said.

He questioned what has been achieved in these almost two years of government.

“They brought brutal reality. They promised pride, but delivered only emptiness. They promised reforms, but delivered plundering on an epic scale. They awarded tenders to their inner circle, they misappropriated European funds, and we should all feel ashamed. Let’s be fully honest about what they are doing to us. This is not mere incompetence. Failing to clear snow or garbage in Skopje, that is incompetence. But crafting a 2026 budget with a two-billion-euro gap, funded by new debt, this is no mistake; it is a premeditated, unarmed plunder of the nation. It is a financial crime against our children’s future. That money does not disappear, it ends up in the pockets of their oligarchy, while citizens bear the cost through inflation that eats away at their bread,” Filipche said.

The SDSM president urged people to look at supermarket prices.

“The ‘consumer basket’ has become more expensive than gold. They froze prices on paper, but in reality, prices are skyrocketing. Why? Because they protect profiteers, not citizens. Since January 1, everything has gotten more expensive, heating, electricity, and Mickoski tries to convince us that we are the fourth economy in Europe. Does anyone feel like they live in the fourth economy in Europe? I ask publicly today. You all know the answer very well. While people struggle for a piece of bread, where is the Prime Minister? In Davos. Playing the role of a world leader, taking selfies in hallways, while in five days he didn’t hold a single meeting. The man was a tourist, and this is not hyperbole. While the state at home is falling apart, Mickoski was on expensive tourism paid for by taxpayers. Macedonia, dear citizens, is in diplomatic isolation. The European path is blocked, and they have no plan. Europe has written us off, and America does not include us. Instead of being within the U.S. perimeter, with Mickoski we have ended up outside the circle called Europe. Such diplomatic madness and confusion are inexcusable. This is a betrayal of national interests. Such a betrayal will be remembered by many generations to come,” Filipche said.

According to Filipche, “their only plan is to keep us stuck in Balkan mud, so they can rule without rules, European courts, or oversight.”

“When SDSM was in power, as Mickoski and VMRO-DPMNE kept saying, we were supposedly subordinated to Europe. He [Mickoski] promised to restore our pride. And what did we get? A government entirely subordinated, blackmailed, and bought with cash and projects from Vučić and Orbán. They brought the country to the lowest point in the Balkans, with a prime minister who cannot sign any decision without approval from his masters,” he said.

He also commented on the current migrant issue.

“But there is something even more alarming being planned in secrecy. We hear, we read, we see, and we keep track. Plans are being made, away from the public eye, to accept migrants from Western Europe. Legislation has already been passed for 10,000 under the pretext of foreign workers. They aim to turn Macedonia into a quarantine zone, a buffer for other nations’ problems, just to earn applause and a six-billion-euro credit. They want to trade the safety of our homes and children for minor political gains. This is a supreme act of betrayal toward one’s own people. We will not allow Macedonia to become a camp for foreign geopolitical interests while children are packing to leave the country,” Filipche said.

Filipche said he believes the plan has been uncovered.

“The plan has been exposed and can no longer be concealed. First, we revealed the axis with Serbia and Hungary, an alliance with Orbán and Vučić that advances anti-European and pro-Russian positions, bringing Macedonia to the U.S. list of third world countries. Second, intentionally, for internal political gain, they strengthened ties with right-wing, anti-European leaders and provoked disputes with our neighbors, jeopardizing European integration for domestic power and financial interests. Third, this axis safeguards Moscow’s interests in the Balkans through investments that bind us to authoritarian regimes. Fourth, their schemes to break up the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia through new associations, movements, teams, or even a new party with Trojan horses started by colleagues working for the ruling party while sitting on two chairs, have been revealed,” Filipche said.

The SDSM leader emphasized that the party has never been and will never be a controlled opposition.

“We offer a European Macedonia. A reformed judiciary, with judges who rule according to the law. Hospitals where people receive dignified care. Schools that create minds, not obedient followers. This is 21st-century social democracy, care, solidarity, humanity. We guarantee true patriotism, not crude nationalism built on lies, false pride, and chest-thumping. Patriotism means improving every aspect of life, making it better, richer, and safer. Patriotism means looking after everyone: the many, the vulnerable, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sex, or sexual orientation. We guarantee a society free of corruption, where everyone can live, advance, and have equal opportunities, not just a small group around the centers of power,” the SDSM president said at the opening of the 31st congress in Skopje.

The open session of the SDSM congress has concluded, and the closed session for the public is underway.

Photo: MIA