Next year's local elections will be a test of whether the government will go to early parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said, clearing up the dilemma of whether Macedonia will run in early parliamentary elections in a package with the local ones, as requested by the leader of DUI Ali Ahmeti, and he also accepted SDSM.

- The citizens do not want early parliamentary elections and that is clear and all polls show that. There are even passers-by who meet me on the street and say themselves that we will vote for you again. I understand that some of the opposition parties think that in this way they will attract more attention - said the Prime Minister.

Mickoski added that VMRO-DPMNE and the coalition is always ready for elections because the party is consolidated, absolutely functional and can run on the field the day after tomorrow.

- Next year we have local elections, the citizens will say whether parliamentary elections are also necessary. If necessary, we can immediately organize parliamentary elections. If they say VMRO-DPMNE and the coalition have a red card, if they vote out the mayors of DUI and SDSM, then the message is clear. We are not SDSM and DUI who ignored the people's message in 2021 and were in power in the Government. The first test will be the local elections next year, if the coalition of Left SDSM and DUI wins the government coalition, then we have absolutely nothing to say here. If we win, we expect that they will finally turn to themselves, reform themselves with new people and program ideas and find ourselves in the next regular parliamentary elections - said Mickoski.

Government partner Arben Taravari from Vredi told Ahmeti's request for early elections to first adapt and reform. Taravari says that next year there will be elections, but that they will only be local, but if there is a consensus and DUI is interested in parliamentary elections, they can talk about that too.

- But the elections ended five to six months ago. So, I would recommend Mr. Ahmeti to focus more on reforms in the party and on adaptation in the opposition, rather than seeking elections. Because if they are held again next year, then again in 2026, it will require elections. So, let's first, as a government, implement the projects that have been promised. Some of them are already being implemented, and let him adapt and reform - said Taravari.

The Prime Minister opened the topic of early parliamentary elections personally at the first parliamentary questions in the Parliament after the SDSM leader Venko Filipce asked for his resignation from the Government because it was not doing well. After a few days, Filipche replied to Mickoski that in each subsequent election cycle, SDSM will appear more united, and he interpreted the call for elections as more of a message to DUI and the government partners Vredi and ZNAM.

- In a way, I would say that flirting with DUI is a message primarily for Vredi and ZNAM, which obviously have a marginalized role and practically halved support. And as for SDSM, we are ready to go to any elections from today. And in every next cycle of elections, we will perform much more organized and much more successfully - Filipche said.

The leader of DUI Ahmeti, on the other hand, demands from almost every meeting with the membership and the citizens that early parliamentary elections be held in a package with the local ones. Ahmeti sent the last message about elections last night from the meeting in Kicevo.

- Hristijan Mickoski openly said "let's go to the elections" to parliamentary questions. I take him as his word, in October 2025 we will go to extraordinary parliamentary elections with the local ones - said Ahmeti.