The ruling VMRO-DPMNE party issued a press release following the meeting of opposition SDSM's party central committee.
VMRO-DPMNE says that SDSM has announced it will continue acting under the belief that, "the worse things are in Macedonia, the better it will be for the opposition party politically".
VMRO-DPMNE also notes that following President Gjorge Ivanov's decision to revoke the pardons he issued in mid-April, SDSM's leader Zoran Zaev remains the only active politician who has received a pardon, over a corrupt real estate deal he authorized as Mayor of Strumica in 2008. Former President Branko Crvenovski, who also comes from the SDSM party, pardoned Zaev before the trial could even begin.
"SDSM's central committee congratulated Zaev, who was pardoned for a crime estimated at EUR 8 million, for continuing to torture Macedonia in his push to escape from reality and from the fact that the people are rejecting his destructive policy of manipulations and will never accept that Zaev and SDSM are put in position of authority. SDSM's central committee also congratulated Zaev for refusing to submit a request to have his pardon revoked. This shows that, according to SDSM, all citizens can and should be held responsible, except for their leader. SDSM remains the only party led by a person charged with stealing EUR 8 million", VMRO-DPMNE writes in its press release.
VMRO-DPMNE also labels SDSM as the only opposition party that keeps trying to avoid going to the polls, and celebrates decisions to cancel elections.
"This is a testament to Zaev's fear from facing the voters in elections", the ruling party adds.