SDSM to confirm Pendrovski as consensual candidate on its 23rd Congress

SDMS leader and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev is to deliver an opening address, followed by a closed session. At the end of the congress, the selected presidential candidate will deliver a speech.

Stevo Pendarovski is the joint candidate for upcoming presidential elections, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said late Friday after a meeting of members of SDSM-led coalition and other parties supporting the concept of a consensus candidate for a new head of state.

‘We are united again – Macedonians, Albanians, Serbs, Turks, Vlachs, Roma, Bosnians and all others. For the first time in the history of our country different ethnic communities stand behind Stevo Pendarovski,’ Zaev said.

It is an exceptional honour to be supported by representatives of all ethnic communities, from 31 political parties, but also from many citizens who are not members of political parties, Stevo Pendarovski writes on Facebook after being nominated late Friday as a joint presidential candidate by SDSM-led coalition and its partners.

The largest opposition party VMRO-DPMNE has already nominated university professor Gordana Siljanovska Davkova as its candidate. The Alliance for Albanians and BESA said they would support the nomination of ambassador and university professor Blerim Reka.

The first round of the presidential elections is scheduled for April 21, while the runoff for May 5.