SDSM party members elected Dimitar Kovacevski to be the next party leader, replacing Zoran Zaev.

A total of 44,406 party members voted in the elections today – which is about two thirds of the votes cast for Zaev in the elections in March. Kovacevski won 37,649 votes, owing to the endorsement from Zaev and from most other top party officials. His opposing candidates fared much worse – Jovan Despotovski, candidate of the Radmila Sekerinska wing of the party, won 3,319 votes, and Frosina Remenski won 2,836 votes.

It was a fair contest. My opponents made excellent suggestions that will advance the party. Comrades, today SDSM won and we taught another lesson in democracy. We are the pillar of the progression portion of the country, Kovacevski said after the votes were announced. Remenski and Despotovski congratulated Kovacevski on his victory.

Kovacevski also expressed gratitude to Zoran Zaev, whose exact role in the future of the party is uncertain. Zaev is now expected to resign as Prime Minister as well, and to try to install Kovacevski to this position too. This will depend on the ability of SDSM to manage its numerous coalition partners, who are increasingly restless.