Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told a press conference Thursday that he presented several proposals for a possible joint presidential candidate to opposition BESA leader Bilal Kasami.

At the meeting with Kasami, we presented our request for a joint candidate in the elections, through a detailed analysis and support of a candidate, a name that is acceptable to all because of the value that all citizens and the Republic of North Macedonia receive, to find a person who will to be the president of all citizens, a good president in the spirit of what is the future of the country, which is fast integration into NATO and getting a date for  EU negotiations, but also of current issues such as the economy, reforms and so on, said Zaev.

He added that Besa, as an opposition party, was also considering the option of presenting an independent candidate in the elections, which, he says, is understandable and that they are considering all options.

Asked when to expect the final decision on the election of the particular candidate, Zaev said that the party should take the decision at a party congress or next week. He did not want to comment on who is a more acceptable candidate for the Albanian parties and pointed out that the conclusion of all analyzes will bring to the surface the future President of the Republic of North Macedonia.

Bilal Kasami, after Thursday’s meeting with SDSM leader Zoran Zaev, said that as a party, the possibility of choosing a joint candidate remains open, but also that they are considering more options.

For us, as an opposition party, the approach is very important, but even more important is the person who will be at the helm of an important institution in the state. As an opposition party we are considering more options, and of course this option is also important because we know that such a candidate has a chance to win and our support for such a candidate would be very important. What the public needs to know is that our support will not be unconditional, and the least likely to be in agreement for that tomorrow’s president to protect our people from corruption and illegal affairs, as unfortunately has happened so far with other parties, Kasami said clarifying that it should be a person who will be president of all citizens without dividing the citizens on ethnic grounds.