Veles, 13 October 2025 (MIA) – The behavior of SDSM and Venko Filipche shows they underestimate the people and the real effect of this behavior will be seen at the upcoming local elections, when the people will say what they think about their unchanged lies, said VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski at a rally on Monday evening in Veles.

Mickoski said SDSM’s hypocrisy culminated with Filipche’s speech in Strumica on Sunday where he spoke “about morality, rule of law, ethics in politics, in the presence of his guru – [Zoran] Zaev”.

“We spent hours, days, crafting an election program. We consulted the people, brought in experts, and planned every denar to be used for solutions and projects. In contrast, from the other side we saw no program – only slander, conspiracies about people, and underground games. They never presented a program, only empty promises of happiness, life, and red lines which, in reality, are not lines but a gift to Bulgaria. The culmination came yesterday when Venko from Strumica, with his guru present, dared to speak about morality and ethics in politics. And while he speaks, people are stunned, listening in disbelief to a man whose guru was in the first rows, talking about honesty, the rule of law, morality, and ethics in politics,” Mickoski said.

The VMRO-DPMNE leader asked if “Filipche is aware of what he’s saying, where he is, and what the people think of his statements”.

“The people, Mr. Venko Filipche, neither intend to hate you nor despise you, but considering what you’ve done against the people and the state, you stand before them without a shred of shame, pretending as if nothing happened. The people can only wonder how far you’ve gone and how such a phenomenon can exist: a man who underestimates his own people, presenting himself as some new face while everyone knows who he is. The real effect of their behavior will be seen on election day, and until then, they can enjoy our campaign song. To spare them the trouble of thinking too hard, we will refer them to the latest polls, which show that VMRO-DPMNE is not only gaining momentum, but by the end of the second week of the first round of the campaign, is leading 4 to 1, and here in Veles, this is even higher,” Mickoski stressed.

Mickoski called on the citizens of Veles to turn up to the polls on October 19 and back VMRO-DPMNE’s candidate for Veles Mayor, Marko Kolev.

“The real choice for Veles is Marko Kolev. A man who has shown and proven how he can love and fight for his city. Marko is fighting for every single project, and he is a man who I am convinced in the next four years will be able to continue the renaissance that’s been happening in Veles the past four years,” Mickoski said.

Photo: VMRO-DPMNE