English
SDSM stands to lose 80 percent of the municipalities it won in the 2021 local elections, which already saw bad results for the party, writes Kiril Kolemisevski, former Deputy Economy Minister in the Zaev regime. According to Kolemisevski, the issue is not whether SDSM will win the elections, but “whether it will continue to exist as a political idea”.
SDSM is a political organism that has survived more defeats than anyone else. I was personally a witness of these defeats, sitting in some corner of the hall, watching hopelessly the results coming in on the screens. But SDSM always came back because we had people, structures, generations who believed in our second chance. This time, it is different. The second chance is less certain. It is tied with the need of an internal catharsis, Kolemisevski writes in an editorial for Nova Makedonija.
He adds that the polls show dramatic reduction in support for the once major party, that once active and loyal party members are withdrawing from the field and that some of the mayors and local council members are withdrawing from the elections.
SDSM needs a gesture showing that the party is prepared to change and restore its authenticity. It could be by giving room to new generations, admitting the political mistakes – especially those that touch to the deepest issues of our identity. Or, simply by talking in a language that the ordinary people understand, without need to translate it from Brussels speak, Kolemisevski adds.
