Goran Gerasimovski elected SDSM vice‑president, calls for unity
Centar mayor Goran Gerasimovski became SDSM vice‑president at the Central Board meeting and urged members to rebuild trust and work together.
Goran Gerasimovski, the current mayor of Centar Municipality, was elected today as a vice‑president of the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) during a session of the party’s Central Board. In his inaugural address he urged members to overcome internal divisions and to work together to restore voters’ trust.
Gerasimovski stressed that internal debate is acceptable but must not fracture the party. He told colleagues: "There is no room for divisions. There is no room for vanities. There is no room to stand aside and wait for someone else to do the work. Everyone is important. Everyone is needed. The strength of SDSM has never rested on one person. The strength of SDSM has been in the people."
New bodies and personnel
At the same meeting the Central Board elected several new members: Verica Zurzurovska, Jane Velkovski, Nikolche Miskoski, Aleksandar Popovski and Vladimir Mihajlović. The board also selected Aleksandar Popovski as a member of the Executive Board, although the announcement did not clarify whether this is the same Aleksandar Popovski named to the Central Board.
Participants said the session also confirmed new members of the party’s Council, which is chaired by Ana Čupeska. Gerasimovski thanked party president Venko Filipche and fellow party members for their trust, saying he accepts the role with a sense of responsibility and that he will be open to ideas and criticism that can improve the party.
The vice‑president argued that differing opinions should strengthen, not weaken, SDSM: "We do not always have to think the same. We do not always have to agree. But we must know what unites us. Those are our principles, the defence of social democracy and the struggle for a dignified life for citizens," he said, calling for mutual trust and joint work.
Gerasimovski’s appeal for unity came after a group of former SDSM officials and members of a so‑called democratic platform—Igor Ivanovski, Nikola Ćurkčiev, Andrej Petrov, Emilijan Stanković, Gordan Georgiev and current MP and former minister Slavjanka Petrovska—held a briefing earlier the same day. They outlined a plan to unite opposition forces and recover citizens’ trust after unmet promises dating to 2016–2017, and they expressed dissatisfaction with the party leadership and president Venko Filipche.
Emilijan Stanković criticised the party leadership directly: "Filipche is not a representative of the membership of SDSM, but he obtained a membership card before he became a minister. When we fought the regime, Filipche was part of the counter‑rally. We have a plan how to provoke structural changes in SDSM, but first we will tell Filipche," he said, adding that the platform is not linked to former leader Zoran Zaev. The platform’s organisers announced further talks scheduled for Saturday at 12:05.
Responding to the platform, party president Venko Filipche told reporters in the Assembly that their actions were not motivated by good intent but by personal and financial interests in cooperation with the current government. Filipche insisted the party’s doors remain open to debate and unification, but argued that refusal to engage in internal discussion confirmed suspicions the movement aims to weaken the opposition. He also accused some initiators of being directly financed by governing structures.
Photo: Fejsbuk-profil na SDSM
