SDSM’s coalition partners agree that the Europeanisation of the country must continue despite the negative outcome in Brussels. At Sunday’s meeting that PM and SDSM leader Zoran Zaev had with coalition partners, they supported the decision on 12 April as a date for early elections. After the meeting, Zaev said he believed he would get a clean mandate, adding that he was optimistic that a bigger part of the already announced measures would be implemented. Answering journalists’ questions, the SDSM leader said his party had a lead of 3% over VMRO-DPMNE, according to polls. As he added, towards the end of October or in November, there will be a new poll. After the meeting, NSDP leader Tito Petkovski said that currently, as many intellectuals, civil society organisations and parties should be motivated in order for there to be elections that will reflect the genuine mood of voters. On the other hand, VMRO-DPMNE Sec Gen Igor Janusev said the following day that his party and its coalition would “deliver the final blow to the criminal-racketeering gang led by Zaev” that was in power. “A lot of work and a lot of commitment lies ahead for all of us together so that we bring back our country on the right track and achieve everything that’s been lost in the period since SDSM became the ruling party,” he said. The previous day, the opposition party’s Union of Youth Forces had posted several videos on social media showing supporters of the party celebrating, as they said, “Zaev’s fall”.