VMRO-DPMNE Vice President Vladimir Misajlovski said that the results of the election do not reflect the reality on the ground, and that the opposition party will remain guided by the votes of its supporters. Misajlovski blamed the bribery of voters done by the ruling SDSM party and the abuse of the institutions for the outcome, which showed VMRO and SDSM virtually tied.

We saw forging of the elections, enormous bribery of voters on the part of the ruling party, widespread intimidation coming from the top of the SDSM and all the way down their lists. I will never accept these results as they don’t reflect the reality on the ground. We witnessed the worst election falsification in our history. But what is most important for me is the trust that was given us by so many citizens, Misajlovski said.

The vote counting process was badly marred by a “hacking attack” on the State Electoral Commission. Disparaging results also contributed to the deterioration of public trust in the outcome.