SDSM is now a party of three and a half decades, and Filipche spoke tonight as if preparing for something bigger. "We are ready for elections whenever needed," he said at the celebration, adding that "fake patriotism is over." A jab aimed at Mickoski - without naming him.

Filipche recalled NATO membership and the Ohrid Framework Agreement, achievements SDSM considers its own. Yet those same achievements divided the party and the electorate. The Prespa Agreement, which cost SDSM its previous mandate, went unmentioned - or mentioned only in the context of "bravery."

A message from Kiro Gligorov was read out - an echo from a different time, when the party led the country to independence. 35 years later, SDSM sits in opposition, with a leader still searching for his voice and voters still searching for a reason to return.