Telma TV director Aleksandar Kirovski refused to invite representatives from the left wing Levica party at a televised pre-election debate meant to promote precisely the smaller parties.

Levica leader Dimitar Apasiev said that Kirovski, who is an outspoken leftist, is deliberately boycotting what Apasiev says is the only smaller party that has a realistic chance to enter Parliament. Kirovski replied over the social media telling Apasiev that he can attend TV debates on Telma but only in an expert capacity and not as a party representative because “you are not a real leftist”.

You’ve become what you despised, Apasiev told Kirovski, mocking the idea that the TV director gets to choose who speaks for the left in Macedonia. Apasiev notes that Telma TV, which used to be very open to his ideas when both Levica and Telma were active protesting against the conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, now completely boycotts Levica, its activities and press releases.

Levica is likely to draw votes away from the ruling SDSM party but Telma invited the representatives of two small parties that are angling to syphon away votes from the conservative VMRO-DPMNE party. The third invited speaker came from Tvoja, a party made up of former SDSM and Colored Revolution supporters who have since turned away, disgusted at the high level corruption scandals.