“The people have won. Macedonia has won. The changes in Macedonia are inevitable,” VMRO-DPMNE says regarding the election results. According to the party’s Vice-President, Vlado Misajlovski, VMRO-DPMNE’s lead over SDSM when it comes to votes for mayoral and councillor candidates is over 50,000. SDSM, too, is satisfied with Sunday’s results. “Serious struggle is ahead for us. SDSM and its coalition will enter the second round in 36 municipalities, plus the City of Skopje. The coalition of the parties comprising the central government, which is the ruling coalition comprising SDSM, DUI, LDP, DOM, BESA, DPA and the other parties is a coalition of progress and is uniting and entering this struggle for majorities in the majority of municipal councils throughout the country,” the ruling party points out. GROM’s Stevco Jakimovski, too, hopes to win in the second round in the Karpos mayoral race, as does independent candidate Maksim Dimitrievski in Kumanovo. According to DUI leader Ali Ahmeti, his party is the biggest political force in the country’s ethnic Albanian bloc. “Together, we achieved a victory this time too. I am very grateful for the contribution of every one of you during the campaign and election process,” he stresses.