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Zdravko Saveski - Not Your Usual Macedonian Politician
A joint list of non-party candidates endorsed by all anti-regime forces in Macedonia is the best way to defeat Nikola Gruevski, a prominent voice in the new leftist Levica party says.
A front man in the recently formed far-left Levica party, social rights activist and currently unemployed political science professor prefers causal clothes to suits and shiny shoes. It’s a look, he says, that fits his ideological standpoint.
Shortly after the main opposition Social Democrats, SDSM, last week said it aimed to widen the opposition front before the December 11 general elections, Saveski - in the name of his party - proposed a slightly different approach, which is to unite all opposition forces behind a list of non-party candidates.
He says this would break with the tradition of election coalitions led by one big party and would have a better chance of motivating numerous abstainers whose votes could prove crucial in defeating the ruling Nikola Gruevski’s VMRO DPMNE party, which has held power since 2006.
“This proposition gives an opportunity to those people who simply cannot force themselves to vote for the SDSM, even though they are clearly against the regime,” he says.
This way, they could vote “not for a particular political party but for the very citizens who are fighting the regime. “This could stimulate people and create a winning euphoria. The question then would no longer be: can we defeat the regime in elections - but by how big a lead?” Saveski maintains.
In the past two general elections, some 37 per cent of the eligible voters in Macedonia did not cast ballots.Saveski says the proposed non-party, non-partisan candidates would be prominent professionals and proven “anti-regime fighters” but not members of parties.
The idea, which has yet to be discussed with other opposition parties, also envisages the formation of a provisional expert government after the elections, again comprised of non-party “anti-regime forces”.
This government would be tasked with carrying out numerous stalled reforms before new elections in which all political subjects could compete on their own, relieved of the need to unite in the fight against VMRO DPMNE.“
The main question is, will the leading people in the SDSM and in other parties be willing to make this sacrifice and give up their MPs’ seats for the greater good?” Saveski asks.
He qualifies the description of Levica is a radical leftist movement, insisting on an important difference between their brand of far left politics and violence, which they do not support.
“We are a leftist party but are far from the extremists. Insisting on fulfillment in practice of Paragraph 1 of the constitution, which defines Macedonia as a social state, is simply not radical,” he says.“We are not asking much when we demand respect for workers’ rights. One might argue that we are too soft in that respect,” he adds. “The bosses in Macedonia have adopted the mentality of being allowed to do whatever they want. They paint each political party that refuses to dance to their tune as extremist,” he continues.
Saveski also dismisses parallels drawn with the old Communist Party of the Yugoslav era.“There were some positive aspects in the past system, especially in the field of social policies. The living standard of a large part of the population was much higher back then … but there were also many faults, especially concerning democracy,” he recalls. “We are not only more democratic than the Communist party in the past system but are more democratic than all of today’s parties,” he insists. “We want further democratization.”
Saveski says he feels disappointed by the actions of the left-wing Greek government led by the Siriza party, which is widely seen as having backed away from its original radical ideas.“We were seriously disappointed by Siriza. Power must not be more valuable that the principles,” he says. “Siriza did the opposite and made a big mistake, in our eyes, by accepting the diktats of international capital. If [Prime Minister Alexis] Tsipras felt unable to withstand the pressure of international capital, he should have resigned,” Saveski continues.
Regarding Macedonia’s strategic goals of joining the EU and NATO, Saveski says a wider debate is needed on the pros and cons of NATO membership, though as a party, they are against the idea.
He believes NATO membership cannot guarantee Macedonia’s stability, as the military alliance is only obliged to protect its members from an attack from abroad - and Macedonia does not face an external threat, he says.“The greatest security risk [for Macedonia] comes from a civil war and NATO cannot interfere in internal affairs,” he adds. “To prevent this risk, we need an improvement to inter-ethnic relations, not NATO membership. The solution lies in the fight against nationalism, not in militarism,” he explains.
On the EU, by contrast, Saveski agrees that Macedonia should continue to seek membership of the European club – but with conditions. The country does not blindly accept everything that is required by the EU, especially when it does not suit its people’s interests.“We opt not only for the fulfillment of all the [EU’s] required democratic standards but their further enhancement,” Saveski continues.“The EU was a great model of social justice - but no longer. That is why the EU states are expressing their disagreements with Brussels.”
Asked why - although Levica has no formal leader but a collective presidency - only a few Levica members are known to the public, Saveski insists this is more of a practical problem.“Some of our people are employed and cannot give statements during working hours … That is why we are trying to promote as many different people as we can as guests on [TV and radio] political panels or through interviews scheduled in the afternoons and in the evenings,” he argues.
“The social profile of our members is quite interesting,” he continues. “Many are either people on low wages, are unemployed or are students, many of whom come from families of workers and of former employees in bankrupt firms [in former state ownership].”
In April and May, Saveski and another party member were placed under house detention for 50 days following charges that they took part in an attack on the President’s office in Skopje on May 12 and 13.The attack occurred during the street protests against the President’s decision to pardon 56 top politicians and their associates from criminal investigation [a move that the President later retracted].
The legal case against Saveski is not over. In the meantime, he insists his detention was part of a plan by the authorities to intimidate him and other protesters.“They realized they were gravely mistaken when they thought they could break us,” he says.“We are highly motivated by the fight for social justice and are ready to sacrifice a lot in that fight. People who have ideals cannot be easily defeated by a corrupt government,” he concludes.
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