Two appearances in a relatively short time by the former mayor of Karpos and party secretary of SDSM, Andrej Petrov, reflect the situation in the ruling party. The “new” party establishment continues to prostitute itself politically with state and national interests. Because, there is still no clear and publicly expressed position on two key issues in anticipation of the long-awaited meeting of the Prime Ministers of Macedonia and Bulgaria, Dimitar Kovacevski and Kiril Petrov, “Pressing TV” analyzes.

After being attacked by the opposition in the first media appearance after the re-election in the party Executive Board regarding the inclusion of Macedonian Bulgarians in the Constitution, Petrov just a few days later, in the morning show on TV Telma, came out with a completely different view, emphasizing that we do not need the EU at all costs.

We cannot change the history, so according to me the Bulgarians were occupiers, not administrators. We cannot talk about language and identity because it is freedom, it is something that does not depend on anyone else, but depends on ourselves and is a fact that happens in many departments of universities around the world. On the issue of the Constitution, it means that it is not a problem for Bulgarians to be included in the Macedonian Constitution, because it shows that we are different peoples, but it is normal that it should be with reciprocity, resolving the rights of Macedonians in Bulgaria, the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria, said Petrov.

With this statement, Petrov became the first representative of the ruling SDSM, who publicly mentioned the reciprocity in Macedonian-Bulgarian relations.

But he successfully said that this was only his personal position.

This, in turn, shows that neither the party leadership nor the resigned government, and we have yet to see what its new composition headed by Dimitar Kovacevski will say, do not have a clearly expressed position on two key issues. First, was Macedonia occupied by Bulgarian fascists during World War II or was it under Bulgarian administration? And secondly, should the inclusion of the Macedonian Bulgarians in the Constitution be with respect for the right to reciprocity, ie by including the Macedonians in Bulgaria in the Bulgarian Constitution? And why not with the rehabilitation of Macedonians in Bulgaria as victims of the secret services during the communist era and beyond? Because, even by chance, the cultural autonomy of the Macedonians in Pirin Macedonia must not be forgotten.

Language and identity should not be be even mentioned.

Now the former party leader and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in the famous BGNES interview at the end of November 2020 weakened to the extreme the state and national negotiating position by claiming that the Bulgarians during the war were administrators, not occupiers. In fact, the other historical nonsense presented then were the reason for a fierce reaction of the former party leader, Prime Minister and President Branko Crvenkovski.

As a reminder, in his address to the public, Crvenkovski then, among other things, wrote:

In the period after the formation of the Government headed by SDSM, I did not go out in public, so as not to be in a situation to confront or publicly criticize some policies and actions of my party. And there have been such situations on many occasions, he said.

He said that he would’ve maintained that position in the future had it not been the scandalous interview of the Prime Minister and SDSM president Zoran Zaev. Crvenkovski says that the views and theses expressed in that interview have caused and will cause severe and long-term consequences for the Macedonian people and the Macedonian state.

Huge and irreparable damage has been done. What can and must be done is to make it clear that Zaev’s views are neither the views of the entire government, nor of the entire state leadership, he said.

In his address to his fellow party members, he points out the special responsibility that the party has and that it is their task is to reduce the damage caused by Zoran Zaev as much as possible. If there is no reaction, Crvenkovski says, Zaev’s views will become views represented by the entire SDSM, and be assured that this will have catastrophic consequences for the party and what is even worse for the country.

The reactions of some prominent members in the media and on social networks are welcome, but not enough. That is why, my esteemed party members, I call for the immediate convening of a session of the party’s  Central Board where it will be concluded that the views expressed by Zaev are not the views of neither the Central Board nor SDSM as a whole. To reaffirm once again the views of SDSM on the Macedonian national identity, the Macedonian language, the Macedonian history, the character of the anti-fascist struggle and ASNOM, Crvenkovski said.

Zaev, the party leadership and the Government remained deaf to Crvenkovski’s demands, followed by the debacle at the local elections, which meant punishment for the policies of the then Prime Minister and leader of the ruling SDSM.

Kovacevski’s first promise was unification, although he was not precise whether he refereed to the coalition or intra-party. According to the rhetoric he uses after taking over the party, Kovacevski, unfortunately, is much closer to Zaev than to his promise, which can be concluded from Andrej Petrov’s stating his personal rather than strong party position in relations with Bulgaria.