The meeting of top party leaders convened by President Stevo Pendarovski, concluded after several hours, with no agreement on when can early elections be held. During the meeting SDSM party leader Zoran Zaev insisted that the elections take place as soon as possible – the option mockingly called “corona elections” in the public, given Zaev’s push Macedonia holds elections as soon as the restrictions put in place to protect the public from the coronavirus epidemic are lifted.

VMRO-DPMNE Presdient Hristijan Mickoski responded with a four point plan, insisting that for elections to take place, there needs to be a full international monitoring team from OSCE/ODIHR, that healthcare experts make the proposal when conditions for voting are met, that legal experts and not politicians determine the way in which the legal modalities about rescheduling the elections are done and that there are conditions for holding a normal electoral campaign. Mickoski said that the other parties accepted the VMRO positions in principle and that they all agreed to meet again, probably next week.

We proposed a plan for the elections. That plan was accepted by the other participants, and I expect that early next week we will have additional information about these four points. Our first principle must be that we protect the citizens, and not place them in unnecessary risk, so then we can hold fair and credible elections. We want elections in summer, we want elections as soon as possible, but I refuse to be a Prime Minister if it needlessly costs us even one life, Mickoski told the press after the meeting.

 

SDSM leader Zoran Zaev again said that his party wants elections to take place in mid June, less then a month after the state of emergency is expected to be lifted. Sources Republika was in touch with informed that during the entire meeting, Zaev insisted that the elections should take place as soon as possible, and that the public needs to learn to live with the virus, while acquiring immunity. This prompted concerns that Zaev wants a low turnout election, that he believes will favor his party, even if it is dangerous for the citizens, largely concerned about the popularity of his party as the economy gets worse. During the meeting, Zaev told other leaders that the Government is facing problems securing funds in the international markets to cover the growing deficit.

Other participants included Ali Ahmeti from the DUI party, Ziadin Sela and Afrim Gashi from the AA-Alliance coalition, BESA’s Bilal Kasami, representatives from the DPA party, as well as Speaker Talat Xhaferi and interim Prime Minister Oliver Spasovski.