Parties to intensively Start talks on Presidential candidates After 15 January vote

After the vote on the constitutional changes that will be held on 15 January, parties will intensively start negotiations to choose a candidate for the presidential elections. SDSM and DUI will hold talks on participating in the elections with a joint candidate. Though they haven’t revealed names, among the most serious candidates pointed out by the ruling coalition partners are FM Nikola Dimitrov, Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski, Deputy PM for European Affairs Bujar Osmani and 2009 presidential candidate Imer Selmani. According to the two parties, that is the only way in which a convincing victory can be expected as early as the first round. VMRO-DPMNE, too, expects a serious victory, considering, as it points out, the fact that it will promote new policies in the following period. Party leader Hristijan Mickoski and former Finance Minister Trajko Slaveski have been mentioned as potential candidates. In the past elections, only party staff participated in the presidential race. That will be the case in 2019, too, according to MP Ilija Dimovski.  Bilall Kasami’s BESA and Ziadin Sela’s Alliance for Albanians haven’t ruled out the possibility of having a joint candidate. However, party organs need to decide on that.