Democratic Union said that the Central Council of the party authorized Pavle Trajanov, the leader of the party, to proceed with negotiations for VMRO-DPMNE’s joint participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

According to Trajanov, who made this announcement at the press conference today when he revealed the Democratic Union’s priorities, their programmatic objectives coincide with those of VMRO-DPMNE. He did point out that there are still some unsolved disagreements between them. As he said, they determined that Macedonia is headed in the wrong way, which is one of the reasons they chose to reorganize the coalition. He cited the coalition’s lack of principles and its opposition to the fundamental idea of adequate and equitable representation for all ethnic communities, the agreement to use a single electoral unit despite the fact that DUI and SDSM are blocking the law, and the legislative proposal for the purpose of fighting serious organized crime.

“Let’s say there were other strategic disputes as well. Naturally, one of our requirements was to reject the French proposal as it stood since it placed Macedonia in a submissive position and left open the possibility of demands and blackmail from Bulgaria. We also feel that this matter should be resolved differently,” Trajanov said. In response, he said they are in talks with VMRO-DPMNE regarding the number of parliamentary seats they anticipate.

The Democratic Union made its priorities known today; these form the basis for talks with other parties. A new Constitution, significant judicial reforms, systemic improvements in the fight against crime, a youth-focused program, a free-market economy, free public education, and media freedom are some of these priorities.