Accusations about treason in relations with Bulgaria, small suitcases containing money, and major national topics were part of the election campaign on Monday too. SDSM leader Venko Filipce stated that PM and VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski, as well as his party and cabinet, had delivered no results.
“They have nothing to show, they have no serious project, they’re making excuses and saying, as an alibi, that some things take decades. They’re being faced with what we are saying about what we did during our term as the ruling party in just one or two years”, he stressed.
The opposition leader denied that he’d held a meeting with Ziadin Sela, head of one of the Alliance for Albanians wings, about a potential pre-election coalition in Struga.
“At this stage, there’s no cooperation”, Filipce stressed, adding that a decision on what next would be made after the first round of the local elections.
The SDSM leader again alleged institutions were being misused by Interior Ministry chiefs, who had been running meetings of VMRO-DPMNE local committees. In that regard, he called on Minister Pance Toskovski to react.
However, the previous day, the Interior Minister had stated that it was possible for him to know all employees and be familiar with their activities outside of work. Monday also saw ex-PM, ex-SDSM leader, and ex-Strumica Mayor Zoran Zaev react to Mickoski’s comments that a former Bulgarian PM had given a small suitcase containing money to “Venko Filipce’s guru from Strumica”.
Referring to the comments as defamation, he also stated that it was exactly Mickoski’s supporters and funders that were experts in suitcases containing money. However, VMRO-DPMNE Vice-President Aleksandar Nikoloski emphasised that the fact that Zaev had reacted publicly meant he still pulled the strings within SDSM.
The ruling party itself said Filipce should take a look at Facebook posts and campaign activities on TikTok by associates of his and paid persons who were making up most brutal lies and hideous things before pretending to be a saint.
According to the ruling party, it’s precisely SDSM whose campaign has been negative, while VMRO-DPMNE is just reminding people of “the disaster of their [SDSM’s] rule, whose consequences are felt now too”.
Later that day, at a rally in Dolneni, Mickoski again stated that citizens had two choices in the elections, that is, the SDSM-DUI-Levica coalition and the political option led by his party. He accused the parties headed by Filipce, Ali Ahmeti, and Dimitar Apasiev of joining forces only due to their “anger and hate” for VMRO-DPMNE.
“For 15 months, the new government’s been literally committed to strengthening the foundations that had been ruined. Unpaid salaries, unpaid subsidies. The goal of these parties is just to reach positions and then continue to destroy this common fatherland of ours, Macedonia”, he stated.