Macedonian Opposition Say Boycott Goes On

The head of the opposition New Social Democrats, told Balkan Insight that it was “a good sign” that the courts had now unblocked the frozen bank account of the popular pro-opposition TV station, A1.

However, the move was “not enough” to persuade the opposition to return to the chamber, Tito Petkovski said.

Petkovski’s party was one of five parties that quit parliament when A1's account was frozen, prompting opposition claims that the right-of-centre government of Nikola Gruevski was bent on curbing media freedom.

The main opposition Social Democrats are also staying outside parliament, voicing caution over the court’s decision with regard to A1, pointing out that it is not final.

“Only after the court confirms its decision [to unfreeze A1's account] can we enter into a political dialogue to discuss the other issues that may result in the ending of our boycott,” Emilijan Stankovic, from the Social Democrats, told Balkan Insight.

Courts froze the bank account of A1 after police detained the owner, Velija Ramkovski, and several associates, on suspicion of financial crime.

The opposition immediately accused Gruevski and his ruling VMRO-DPMNE party of curbing democratic freedoms by influencing court decisions. Gruevski denied influencing the courts in any way.

The opposition have meanwhile stepped up calls for early elections, conditioning them on reforms that would guarantee fair and free polls.

The government claims it is working to satisfy opposition demands. On Tuesday, the Police Minister, Gordana Jankulovska, said an update of the electoral roll, another demand of the opposition, had been completed.

She said that some 15,000 deceased persons still listed as voters had been removed. Jankulovska described the new electoral roll as “completely functional” and as “reflective of reality”. The opposition had previously complained that the votes of fictional voters were open to abuse in electoral fraud.

The updating of the electoral roll is “absolutely not over”, Petkovski responded. His party said a special working group formed between the opposition and the government needed first to verify the findings.

On Tuesday, the German and Italian ambassadors to Macedonia, Ulrike Maria Knotz and Fabio Cristiani, visited the headquarters of the Social Democrats in an effort to persuade them to end their parliamentary boycott.

The US Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, Thomas Countryman, is due to arrive in Macedonia on Thursday to meet the Prime Minister and the opposition.