After months of delays and disputes, the opposition SDSM party held a meeting of its Central Board, and began the process of electing new offcials. The first major decision that the troubled party announced is the appointment of Fani Karanfilovska Panovska as deputy leader of the party – a position usually reserved for a woman.

Karanfilovska is head of the Foundation Open Society Institute – Macedonia, better knwon as the Soros foundation. This is an umbrella group that is used to fund hundreds of activist organizations that usually act in lockstep with SDSM, organizing protests, preparing biased political reports and coordinating with other similar organizations and leftist leaders across the world.

She is a person I’ve known for a long time, and I know that she strongly believes in the social-democratic values. She has participated in the work of many civic organizations, mostly in the Open Society, and has cooperated with other legal entities who share the values of our party, said SDSM leader Venko Filipce. Filipce also promised that the party will shed its elitist image. His patron, former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, did not attend the meeting of the Central Board, where about 85 percent of the delegates were present.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said that he hopes SDSM will begin to operate as a constructive opposition party. “Still, I expect them to continue with their daily slanders, insinuations, to stir up low passions and lack vision for the future”, Mickoski said. VMRO-DPMNE issued a statement reminding the public that Filipce, as Healthcare Minister, was responsible for one of the worst disasters in recent history – the 2021 hospital fire in Tetovo that killed 14 patients and family members.
He’s trying to sell the head of Soros Macedonia as a new face in our politics. All she cares about are the funds that were received through the foundation. Filipce’s men are the same as Zaev’s men – steeped in corruption and turning Macedonia back in every regard”, the ruling party said in its statement.