Macedonian Opposition To Ask For Snap Polls

Under the slogan, “We Are For Winning Macedonia”, the opposition Social Democrats, SDSM have planned the protest for June 27.

However, in a bid not to harm the ongoing efforts to solve the name spat with Greece they say they will not ask for an immediate disbanding of the parliament.

SDSM leader Branko Crvenkovski, speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, explained that the opposition will do so “the very next day after November’s NATO summit”. Until then the party hopes the country might be invited to join the alliance and make progress in its EU bid if there is a breakthrough in the name talks.

The opposition announced its decision to hold protests and ask for snap polls just one day after the VMRO DPMNE held a celebration rally to mark its 20 year anniversary. Crvenkovski said they were disappointed by the speech given by Prime Minister and VMRO DPMNE head Nikola Gruevski at the meeting.

“Instead of solutions to the hard problems we heard excuses about why the problems cannot be solved. Instead of politics oriented towards finding solutions we have been offered a self pity option. And on top of that we heard that everyone else is to blame except the government. That is unpatriotic, irresponsible and false politics,” the SDSM head said.

At the VMRO DPMNE rally on Tuesday Gruevski repeated that the country will not be blackmailed by Greece concerning changes to the country’s name in order for Athens to lift its opposition to Macedonia's EU and NATO bids. However, he noted that the government was committed to the effort to find a mutually acceptable compromise with Greece.

The prime minister accused the opposition and some local media for plotting against him and against Macedonia’s interests of preserving its name and identity.

SDSM has insisted for some time that VMRO DPMNE is not doing enough to solve the name row. The opposition has said that a more pragmatic approach to solving the long standing name row is needed.

After his return to the party helm last year, SDSM leader Crvenkovski announced reforms to his party, which has lost every consecutive general, presidential and local election in the country since 2006.

SDSM and its smaller coalition partners currently hold some 30 seats in the 120 seat parliament, while VMRO DPMNE has roughly double that number.