Valandovo, 24 October 2025 (MIA) — VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski told a party rally in Valandovo held ahead of the mayoral runoff on Nov. 2 that the 33 VMRO-DPMNE mayors elected in the first round of the 2025 local elections was a historic election result in independent Macedonia. He also noted that VMRO-DPMNE's Skopje mayoral candidate Orce Gjorgjievski had a 3-1 lead against his opponent, Levica's Amar Mecinovikj.

"We have not released a single negative video about our political opponents during the entire campaign, from the first day to the last," Mickoski said. "At no point did we run a smear campaign, at no point did we use any ad hominem attacks."

Mickoski said the opposition, however, had run a smear campaign against him.

"They packed me up in pieces into a suitcase, and then they told me they despised me and whatnot," he said, adding that the outcome was that the opposition had won only three mayoral races on Oct. 19.

"We are a Christian Democratic party, we need to defeat our political opponents with good deeds," he said, adding that this made VMRO-DPMNE different from other parties.

Mickoski also said the party's election campaign had a clear message and a vision, which he said would be achieved in the coming years.

"You are our inspiration, you are our motivation to continue fighting, because it is worth fighting for each person who has stayed here at home, to fight together for our homeland, our common Macedonia”, Mickoski said. mr/