Kumanovo Mayor Maksim Dimitrievski was in talks with his former party SDSM to return to a high level position, in an attempt to heal the rift that developed last year, but the talks failed, Fokus reports.

Dimitrievski took more than half of SDSM voters in their stronghold of Kumanovo with him, won the mayoral race there, and is also considering putting forward his own list at the next general elections, which could hurt SDSM even more. Fokus reports that he demanded a Vice Presidential post in the party and, more importantly, the removal of his local rival Oliver Spasovski as Interior Minister.

New SDSM party leader Dimitar Kovacevski, who is also from Kumanovo, tried to heal the rift and invited Dimitrievski back into the party, but was apparently not prepared to cut ties with Spasovski, who is now currently the most powerful Government member from the Zoran Zaev wing of the party.