As SDSM prepares for a party congress on Saturday, former Skopje Mayor Petre Silegov accused the leadership of his party of preventing pluralism and silencing critical voices within the party.

We did not have a congress to discuss the failures at the 2021 local elections. The congress to discuss the 2024 elections failed. Now we have a new congress and we see that the local branches have still not received the materials or the proposed conclusions that they should discuss about. Our party statute demands that the local branches need to have enough time to review the materials, to come to their own conclusions and to prepare their delegates to the congress. But, it is obvious that the conclusions were already adopted in a narrow circle within the party, and not in the proper institutions, said Silegov.

The leading official from the Skopje branch of SDSM is now an outspoken critic of party leader Venko Filipce, who is trying to cling to the leadership position even after the disastrous local elections defeat. Insiders in SDSM warn that Filipce can face significant boycott at the congress, with dissenting party officials refusing to come – if they can’t have an opportunity to influence the conclusions of the congress.