In his first remarks after the elections, VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski said that his party has won more votes and seats than SDSM (putting SDSM coalition partner BESA aside) and that the mood of the public is undeniably pro-opposition. Mickoski said that he is beginning the coalition building process with different parties, after the voters delivered a narrowly divided Parliament, and that he is confident that VMRO is best placed for a stable coalition.

The people opted for change. They know that the reality they live in is unbearable. The results show that the opposition won more votes that the ruling majority, Mickoski said.

He pointed to VMRO wins in the capital Skopje and most of its largest municipalities, in Veles, Stip, Ohrid, Kavadarci, Negotino, Prilep and many other cities and municipalities across the country.

This result was achieved in difficult circumstances, under strong pressure and many irregularities. The Government engaged in massive bribery. The website of the State Electoral Commission remains down. We are receiving numerous reports of suspicious vote counting. We don’t want to make that the main issue of our campaign because our citizens deserve the Renewal we offer. We acted honestly and with principles. The alternative would be to go with Zaev and prolong the agony, Mickoski said.

Asked about the request from the DUI party that the next Prime Minister is an ethnic Albanian, Mickoski said that he will not negotiate under blackmail. On the proposal from SDSM party leader Zoran Zaev that VMRO and SDSM support each other in some sort of a minority Government, Mickoski replied that he will “not form a coalition with people suspected of crimes”.