Skopje, 30 June 2024 (MIA) - The overall process of voting at the SDSM leadership elections is proceeding peacefully throughout the country, there is a positive spirit among all the comrades who are coming out to vote, candidate Venko Filipche said after casting his vote on Sunday.

Former Health Minister and current MP, Filipche, also urged all registered members to come out and vote.

Regarding the suspicions over the legitimacy of the procedure, Filipche said all the candidates were notified by the party’s Central Election Committee that the suspicions were unfounded.

“The Central Election Committee is responsible for the procedure, and it analyzed all remarks and notified all of us that the suspicions are unfounded and the entire process is legitimate,” Filipche said.

SDSM members are set to choose a new leader of the party in Sunday’s elections. The vote is taking place in 77 polling stations nationwide, with around 23.000 party members registered to vote.

Three candidates remain in the race for SDSM leader – former Health Minister and current MP Venko Filipche, the head of the Free Zones Authority Jovan Despotovski, as well as the former Deputy Minister of Information Society and Administration, Aleksandar Bajdevski – after former Defense Minister and current MP Slavjanka Petrovska withdrew her candidacy on Saturday, a day ahead of the elections

Previously the party was led by Branko Crvenkovski, Vlado Buchkovski, Radmila Shekjerinska, Zoran Zaev, and Dimitar Kovachevski.  

Photo: MIA