Skopje, 4 March 2024 (MIA) - Incumbent President Stevo Pendarovski and professor Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova officially received party support over the weekend for their bids for the coming presidential elections. They also received support from the citizens after they collected the required 10,000 signatures. Thus far, seven candidates have collected the signatures required for a presidential bid, whereas four other candidates are still collecting the signatures.

 

SDSM said Sunday that Pendarovski secured the required 10,000 citizens' signatures over his candidacy for a second presidential term in a record time of less than five hours. Pendarovski also received support for a second presidential term at the 27th SDSM Congress late on Sunday. Opposition party VMRO-DPMNE also announced that more than 15,000 signatures have been collected for the presidential candidacy of professor Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova by noon on Sunday, after the party supported Siljanovska-Davkova's candidacy for the coming presidential elections at a convention in Skopje on Saturday.  

 

 

"I expect a double win. We have our values and potentials, and we are better than them," said incumbent President Stevo Pendarovski after receiving support for a second presidential term at the 27th SDSM Congress late on Sunday.

 

Pendarovski said the opinion polls presented by VMRO-DPMNE are fake, whereas the true ones show SDSM and Pendarovski will win the coming parliamentary and presidential elections.

 

"The real polls they do not show in public show they have dropped below 45 MP seats while we have surpassed 50. Today's result by SDSM in the signature collection process is no coincidence. As of recently, trends have changed," said Pendarovski.

 

According to him, VMRO-DPMNE has no position on the country's strategic issues.

 

"What is their proposal for a negotiating framework? They say 'we will tell you once we come to power. You cannot even be head of a local community with such an approach. These are people who have not apologized for the biggest disgrace in Macedonia's history - April 27," said Pendarovski.

 

He added that VMRO-DPMNE did the biggest strategic mistake in history, because they worked actively on boycotting the recent census, resulting in 130,000 ethnic Macedonians listening to them and failing to register.

 

"Do not fear, these are people with no qualities, the only wish being to assume power. We cannot allow this to happen," said Pendarovski.

 

 

SDSM leader Dimitar Kovachevski said Pendarovski has a clear vision for the country's prosperity and its integration in the European Union.

 

"During his term, he showed the true meaning of a president of all. During his first term, the country joined NATO. During his second term, the country will join the EU," said Kovachevski.

 

According to him, the coming presidential and parliamentary elections are an opportunity to choose the country's path - whether we move forward on the EU path or go back to isolation.

 

"VMRO-DPMNE is offering only crises, retribution and isolation, for the country to be stuck for years, a status quo, no change, no progress, no future. SDSM is the only party that offers a real hope for a better tomorrow, a secure European future," noted Kovachevski.

 

After signing for the candidacy in the State Election Commission (SEC) office in Karposh on Sunday, VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski said the number of signatures would exceed 20,000 by 2 pm.

 

 

"These are strong indicators and I expect a big win on April 24 and then on May 8," said Mickoski and expressed assurance that Siljanovska-Davkova would garner 100,000 more votes than incumbent President Stevo Pendarovski in the first round.

 

Maksim Dimitrievski of ZNAM, Bujar Osmani of DUI, Stevcho Jakimovski of GROM, Arben Taravari of opposition alliance "Worth It", and Biljana Vankovska of Levica have already collected the required citizens' signatures.

 

 

The signature collection runs through March 8 in all SEC departments and offices across 34 municipalities and at notaries public.

 

The first round of the presidential elections will take place on April 24, with the runoff slated for May 8, held in parallel with the parliamentary elections.

 

Photo: MIA archive