This is the first election when the two main parties in Macedonia have an ethnic Albanian partner – SDSM is allied with DUI and BESA, while VMRO competes together with the Alliance of Albanians and Alternative. These coalitions will prove crucial in te race for the capital Skopje between incumbent Mayor Petre Silegov and the VMRO backed candidate Danela Arsovska.

This is our mutual fight, for the Macedonians, the Albanians, the Turks, Roma, Serbs, Vlachs, Bosniaks. Zaev boasts that he has your votes in his pocket, but that is a lie. You are all free individuals. Zaev does not have a real coalition at the local level – he is with DUI and BESA in the central Government, but not locally. They have separate mayoral candidates. We shook hands with the AA and the Alternative, and we work perfectly in these elections, Mickoski said during a TV appearance that immediately followed the rally.