Macedonian Opposition Join Forces

Although with no official front man at present, the head of the main opposition party, Branko Crvenkovski from the Social Democrats, is expected to have a central voice in the block.

"Our utmost objective is to defeat the VMRO-DPMNE-led coalition," Crvenkovski said at the promotion of the new block in Skopje. He argued that the parties have put their differences behind them and united at a critical moment for the state.

The opposition admitted that various opinion polls say that the government has unmatched popularity among the people. However, the newly formed block argued that this was a result of the populist rule that had taken the country away from its top priorities, namely swift entry into the European Union and NATO.

The opposition also slammed the government for causing a severe economic downturn and for not keeping its promises in the sphere of the economy. They said that during Gruevski’s rule there had been a complete degradation of democratic freedoms and a total partization of the state.

Saying that they expect more parties to join them in the future, the opposition front argued that even if they fail to sweep the government from power in the short term, their pressure would force it to work better.

Aside from the Social Democrats, the New Social Democrats, the Liberal Party, the Party of Free Democrats, and the New Alternative all joined the new block. The Greens and several other smaller parties predominantly representing small ethnic minorities and pensioners also joined.