English
VMRO-DPMNE held a large rally this evening in Kicevo, which is going to be one of the most hotly contested cities in the second round of the local elections. VMRO candidate Aleksandar Jovanovski faces off against incumbent Mayor Fatmir Dehari from DUI, who is appealing to Albanian parties that are DUI rivals to unite against the Macedonian candidate.
It is very important that we unite here in Kicevo, regardless of our differences, be they ethnic, religious or political. That we unite around the values and the civilization we represent. Aleksandar’s opponent does not share our values, said Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski at the rally in Kicevo.
Dehari, a former UCK guerrilla commander who has appealed to Albanian nationalism, was hit by several media leaks that showed him sexually harassing a female employee in the municipality.
Kicevo was artificially gerrymandered in 2005 to make it majority Albanian, but Jovanovski won the first round and VMRO’s coalition with Albanian parties could help ensure his victory. Mickoski said that he spoke with Tetovo Mayor Bilal Kasami from VLEN, who is his coalition ally, but called on Albanians in Kicevo to vote for Dehari – despite VLEN’s bitter rivalry with DUI in Tetovo and most of the other races. VLEN has since expressed regret that Dehari remained in the race despite the ugly allegations against him. DUI lost the main races in the first round of the elections, and Kicevo is becoming a must-win race for them if they want to recover somewhat in the second round, especially as the municipality includes the native village of DUI leader Ali Ahmeti.
