SDSM holds a meeting of its Central Committee in Ohrid today, where the ruling party should elect its new party leadership, after more than 100 officials including deputy leaders were removed by Zoran Zaev.

The changes in SDSM are part of the purge Zaev promised after the dismal results in the first round of the presidential elections where SDSM and its DUI coalition partner lost 2/5 of their votes from the 2017 municipal elections.

SDSM is also supposed to discuss the next steps following the rejection of Macedonia’s request to open EU accession talks this summer. Zaev announced that he will resign if Macedonia is not allowed to begin its EU talks, but is expected to backpeddal the promise and to ask for another chance in autumn.