Skopje, 26 September 2023 (MIA) – The European coalition of parties which are in favor of integration and North Macedonia’s progress towards the European Union will win the next presidential and then the parliamentary elections, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski on Tuesday.

Asked to comment on the statement of DUI leader Ali Ahmeti, who said the “European front” could run jointly at the next elections, Kovachevski said he was the first one that pointed to the existence of two concepts in the country, “one in favor of the EU, and one in favor of isolation, and this is what the DUI leader, Ahmeti is referring to.” 

“In terms of elections, I will also confirm that the next presidential elections will be won by the candidate of the European coalition and by the political parties striving for North Macedonia’s integration within the European Union. Later, in the parliamentary elections, the coalition in favor of a European Macedonia will also form the country’s next government,” said Kovachevski.

On whether the parties will be listed together on the ballot, Kovachevski noted that this is down to a coalition agreement that will be made on the basis of a program and the systems of values of the different coalition parties. However, he stressed, no option is off the table.

Kovachevski reiterated that a year ago he said there are two concepts in the country.

“One is the concept in favor of European integration and the country’s progress towards the EU for its full-fledged membership and the adoption of the necessary decisions, led by SDSM and its coalition partners, to which other parties joined as well, like the Alliance for Albanians for example. There is also another concept, which favors blockade, isolation and a repetition of that decade or 11 years, when we were an isolated state with wages twice as low as the ones today, with pensions twice as low as the ones today, with a lower living standard, with bad relations with our neighbors, with bad internal relations and with no progress in the European integrations,” said Kovachevski.

Photo: MIA Archive/Government