Zoran Dimitrovski: North Macedonia’s Smaller Parties Must Challenge the Dominant Blocs

But he also says that going solo into the forthcoming elections, after previously abandoning the alliance led by the Social Democrats, does not mean the small parties are withdrawing parliamentary support for the current government.

Dimitrovski dismisses talk of a new parliamentary majority led by VMRO DPMNE as an illusion.

It is time the parties of the centre entered the ring independently and tested their strength, Dimovski said. Photo: Goce Trpkovski

Potential is there - but how to tap it?

Shortly after North Macedonia proclaimed independence in the early 1990s, the initial climate of political pluralism dissolved.

A bipartisan system developed, characterised by strong polarisation between the two leading blocs that both mainly targeted ethnic Macedonian votes.

Although challenged from time to time, this status quo has lasted  for decades. But some circumstances that happened in the last few years suggest change is afoot.

The gradual rise in popularity of the Levica [Left] party, which borrowed heavily from both dominant blocs but never took sides with either, has motivated some of the smaller parties in the current ruling alliance to take the solo path themselves - withdrawing from the Social Democrat-led bloc while still remaining in power nationally, and trying their chances at the forthcoming local polls.

Unlike a few years ago, when the polls showed that each of the two main parties enjoyed ratings of about 21 to 22 per cent, their support has lately fallen to about 17 per cent, Dimitrovski notes.

"Some 10 per cent [of voters] are no longer keen to vote for them [the big parties]. Furthermore, while Levica has seen a rise, that part of the electorate that does not support...