VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski addressed his supporters after VMRO candidate Gordana Siljanovska – Davkova won a tight race against the ruling SDSM – DUI coalition candidate Stevo Pendarovski. As Mickoski was speaking, the live update of the vote count turned in favor of Siljanovska, giving VMRO the lead over the combined strength of SDSM and DUI.

We won over the failed, false policies promoted by Zoran Zaev. We won, but they are not defeated yet. We need to win in the second round as well, we need to win for the Republic of Macedonia, and for a return to justice, said Mickoski.

He attributed the win over SDSM and the more than 30 other parties who supported Pendarovski to the fact that the ruling coalition ignored the will of the people, most notably in the September 2018 referendum.

The Government lost its legitimacy. Zoran Zaev’s downfall has begun and everybody is aware of it. The people said they are not satisfied, and the people have not forgotten all the evil that was inflicted on them. The political persecution, the name issue, the crime and corruption… The people were not asked about any of this. But, better days are coming and we will stay together until the final victory, Mickoski said.