Social Democratic Union of Macedonia Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Social Democratic Union of Macedonia Социјалдемократски сојуз на Македонија

Leader	vacant
Secretary-General	vacant
Deputy Leader	vacant
Founder	Branko Crvenkovski
Founded	April 20, 1991 (1991-04-20)
Preceded by	SKM
Headquarters	Bihaḱka 8, Skopje
Youth wing	Social Democratic Youth of Macedonia
Ideology	Social democracy Pro-Europeanism
Political position	Centre-left
National affiliation	For a European Future
European affiliation	Party of European Socialists (associate)
International affiliation	Progressive Alliance
Colours	Red White
Assembly	15 / 120
Mayors	18 / 80
Local councils	396 / 1,333
Skopje city council	12 / 45
Party flag

The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (often called SDSM) is a major political party in North Macedonia. It's known for its "social-democratic" ideas, which means it believes in fairness for everyone. This includes helping people, making sure everyone has a chance to succeed, and supporting social programs. It is the main "centre-left" party, meaning its ideas are generally focused on equality and helping those in need.

The SDSM was started on April 20, 1991. It grew out of an older party called the League of Communists of Macedonia. The party is part of international groups like the Progressive Alliance and the Party of European Socialists. The SDSM also played a big role in solving a long-standing disagreement with Greece about North Macedonia's name. This was settled with the Prespa Agreement.

A Brief History of the SDSM
Party Leaders
Election Results
- Presidential Elections
- Assembly Elections
See also

A Brief History of the SDSM

The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia was officially formed on April 20, 1991. Its roots go back to 1943, during World War II, when the Communist Party of Macedonia was created. This party later became the League of Communists of Macedonia, which was the main ruling party in the Socialist Republic of Macedonia.

Early Elections and Government

The SDSM lost the elections in 1998. However, in the 2002 elections, the party became the largest group in the Assembly of North Macedonia. They won 60 out of 120 seats as part of an alliance called "Together for Macedonia." This alliance worked with another party, the Democratic Union for Integration, to form the government.

Branko Crvenkovski was a very important leader of the SDSM for a long time. He was the Prime Minister of Macedonia from 1992 to 1998, and again from 2002 to 2004. After that, he became the President of North Macedonia until 2009.

Changes and Challenges

After Crvenkovski, Vlado Bučkovski became the party leader and Prime Minister until 2006. Over the years, some members left the SDSM to form new parties. For example, Tito Petkovski started the New Social Democratic Party in 2005.

In the 2008 elections, the SDSM and its allies did not win as many seats, getting 27 out of 120. They became the main opposition party. In 2009, Branko Crvenkovski returned to lead the party again. However, he resigned in 2013 after the party lost local elections. Zoran Zaev was then chosen as the new leader.

Recent Years and Leadership

The SDSM lost the 2014 general elections. However, the opposition parties did not accept the results and boycotted the Parliament. In 2015, Zoran Zaev shared information that suggested unauthorized listening of many citizens. This led to large protests in Skopje, with many people demanding changes in the government.

To solve this political situation, the Pržino Agreement was signed in July 2015. This agreement led to a temporary government that included the SDSM. It also set up early elections for December 2016. In these elections, the SDSM had one of its best results ever, winning 49 seats. In February 2017, Zaev worked with other parties to form a new government.

Before the 2020 elections, the party updated its look, changing its logo and making red its main color. After the local elections in 2021, Zoran Zaev stepped down as party president. On December 12, 2021, Dimitar Kovačevski was elected as the new leader of the party.

Party Leaders

The old logo of SDSM

Old party flag

Branko Crvenkovski (1991–2004)
Vlado Bučkovski (2004–2006)
Radmila Šekerinska (2006–2008)
Zoran Zaev (2008–2009)
Branko Crvenkovski (2009–2013)
Zoran Zaev (2013–2021)
Dimitar Kovačevski (2021–2024)

Election Results

Presidential Elections

Election	Party candidate	Votes	%	Votes	%	Result
Election	Party candidate	First Round		Second Round		Result
1994	Kiro Gligorov	715,087	78.4%	-	-	Elected Y
1999	Tito Petkovski	343,606	33.1%	513,614	46.8%	Lost
2004	Branko Crvenkovski	385,347	42.5%	550,317	62.6%	Elected Y
2009	Ljubomir Frčkoski	202,691	20.54%	264,828	36.86%	Lost
2014	Stevo Pendarovski	326,164	38.56%	398,077	42.67%	Lost
2019		322,581	44.75%	436,212	53.59%	Elected Y
2024		180,500	20.48%	251,541	29.25%	Lost

Assembly Elections

Election	Party leader	In coalition with	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Government
Election	Party leader	In coalition with	(Coalition totals)		(Coalition totals)		Position	Government
1990	Petar Goshev	None	220,748	27.70%	31 / 120	31	2nd	Government
1994	Branko Crvenkovski	LPM-SPM	329,700	53.50%	95 / 120	64	1st	Government
1998		None	279,799	25.14%	30 / 120	60	2nd	Opposition
2002		LDP-DPT-DLB-USR-DPD	494,744	41.58%	60 / 120	33	1st	Government
2006	Vlado Bučkovski	LDP-DPT-DLB-USR-DPD	218,164	23.31%	32 / 120	30	2nd	Opposition
2008	Radmila Šekerinska	NSDS-LDP- LPM	233,284	23.64%	27 / 120	5	2nd	Opposition
2011	Branko Crvenkovski	NSDP-NSDP-SEB-LPM-SPS-PPER-UTLS-SSD	368,496	32.78%	42 / 120	15	2nd	Opposition
2014	Zoran Zaev	NSDP-LDP-UM-SPER	283,955	26.22%	34 / 120	8	2nd	Opposition
2016		NSDP-LDP-DOM-SPER	436,981	37.87%	49 / 120	15	2nd	Government
2020		"We Can" BESA-NSDP-LDP-VMRO–NP-DOM-DS-TDP-THP-POPGM	327,408	35.89%	46 / 120	3	1st	Government
2024	Dimitar Kovačevski	"For a European Future" NSDP-LDP-VMRO–NP-DOM-POPGM	153,250	15.36%	18 / 120	28	2nd	Opposition