Jovan Despotovski, currently head of the TIRZ industrial zones bureau and an SDSM official from the Radmila Sekerinska wing of the party, said that he might also consider a run as new party leader as Zoran Zaev is leaving his position.

I will announce my final decision tomorrow. I want to consult my family, who I would be dragging into this. I believe I have achieve results and that I can offer a good concept, Despotovski said.

Tomorrow is the deadline for new applications, and the vote of the over 50,000 party members will take place on December 12th. Zaev openly endorsed Deputy Finance Minister Dimitar Kovacevski as the new leader. Disgraced former Vice President of the party Frosina Remenski is also running, ans well, possibly, former intelligence chief Mile Zecevic.

Despotovski was best known for the series of openly crony decisions he made as head of the Innovation Fund, which he turned into a slush fund for SDSM party activists and supportive journalists.

Another Innovation Fund scandal – company with alleged ties to Government supporters claimed money to develop devices which are already sold in India