On Friday, in Kumanovo, there was a joint presentation of the candidates for new SDSM leader. Slavjanka Petrovska stated that only a strong SDSM could be a winning SDSM.
“Therefore, I will introduce a fair and just process to elect candidates for MPs and council members. It will be a broad process in which all members of SDSM, not just a group approved by central leadership, will be involved,” she said.
Candidate Jovan Despotovski compared the upcoming intra-party elections, scheduled for 30 June, to a referendum where membership should decide whether the old practices and policies should continue or end.
The main pillars of candidate Venko Filipce’s programme are: strengthened communication with membership, formation of new party bodies and organs openly and transparently, and a change of the way in which municipal organisation heads and mayoral candidates are elected by introducing, as he said, a more democratic and more transparent intra-party process.
When it comes to the fourth candidate, Aleksandar Bajdevski, his stand is that one of the strategic steps that should be taken is to bring back the recognizability of social democratic policies.
The deadline for registration of SDSM members for voting in the 30 June intra-party elections expired on Sunday.