Zoran Zaev presented his SDSM party as a multi-ethnic movement – a move away from its previously declared Macedonian character. During the Kanal 5 TV debate with VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski, Zaev said that he expects to win more than 61 seats in Parliament with the help of ethnic Albanian voters who support SDSM and his new coalition partner – the declared Albanian party BESA.

I wish luck to Zaev in his coalition with BESA. It leaves only one Macedonian party at the coming elections and that is VMRO-DPMNE. Zaev wants to pretend he is the opposition party in the Albanian camp. He is now loudly accusing DUI, after spending three years in coalition with them, Mickoski said, before calling on voters from all ethnic backgrounds to support VMRO based on its program, and not ethnicity.

Most parties in Macedonia have a declared ethnic background, and the Albanian parties proudly promote their ethnic character. But faced with a clear defeat among ethnic Macedonian voters, Zaev attempted a coalition with the largest Albanian DUI, but after it refused to join him, he settled for BESA.