Filipche: SDSM will not be an "alibi" for snap elections; Mickoski will call them when funds run out

SDSM leader Venko Filipche said his party will not serve as an "alibi" for a snap parliamentary vote that, he argued, the prime minister Hristijan Mickoski could call when the ruling majority runs short of funds.

Asked about Mickoski's claim that VMRO‑DPMNE is ready to face early elections at any time, Filipche repeated that the decision to set election dates rests with the prime minister and the ruling majority — and that SDSM will not be used to legitimize a premature vote.

"SDSM will not be an alibi"

Filipche accused the government of controlling institutions at every level and said the motive for calling elections would be financial: when the administration no longer has money for what he called "corrupt tenders." In his remarks he warned that the prime minister and his proxies might seek elections, but SDSM would refuse to act as their cover.

Filipche also announced that SDSM will present a program next month titled "Master Plan for Macedonia" — a multi-step platform of promises and the accountability mechanisms the party intends to use if voters give it a mandate.

He declined to comment on a recent statement from the Democratic Union for Integration, saying he had not seen it because it appeared immediately before his press briefing. Filipche added that SDSM is prepared to take part in any leaders' meeting that serves the public interest.

Filipche said that when Parliament resumes in September his party will reintroduce a law proposing a minimum wage of 600 euros, a 40 percent pay rise for doctors and education staff, and higher purchase prices for agricultural produce — including 28 denars per kilogram for Vranec grapes and 29 denars for Smederevka. He also criticized the government for an inadequate health response to West Nile fever, the water crisis in Gostivar and the non‑operational PET scanner used for oncology patients.

Photo: SDSM