During his rally in Demir Hisar, VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski responded to Zoran Zaev’s claim that he learnt a lesson from his severe defeat in the first round of the local elections.

A leppard never changes its spots. Zaev’s has looked you in the eye many times and lied to you. He is again lying when he says that he received your message. The corrupt contracts in REK Bitola are still being conducted, he still claims that his associates like Den Doncev and Dragi Raskovski are honest people, his brother continues to go from one company to the next with extortion demands. Zaev says that he will resign if the loses the race in Skopje and the majority of other races. Let’s turn out in large numbers on October 31st and let us help him do it, Mickoski said.

VMRO-DPMNE won 22 municipalities, including 10 major ones in the first round, against nine for SDSM which included only one major urban center. This caused a crisis in the ruling party and led to Zaev’s announcement that if he loses the second round as well, he will not be able to continue to lead the Government.