No Deal Yet on Election Date in Macedonia

Macedonia's Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski has urged opposition parties not to set conditions on the early general elections that they have demanded.

Gruevski on Tuesday advised Branko Crvenkovski,the leader of the Social Democrats, to agree to an “urgent” electoral match. 

"You have persistently been asking for a vote for five months," he said.

"You now have a chance for elections without delay, without buying time. I urge you, loud and clear, to come out for elections. It would be dignified to accept."

Gruevski's right-of-centre VMRO DPMNE party has opted for mid-April as the best date.

But in an interview for the pro-opposition A1 TV station on Monday, Crvenkovski categorically refused an April date, saying mid-June was the earliest date they could agree to, to ensure free and fair elections.

“His [Gruevski’s] plan is to shut down A1 and other critical media, to continue corrupting the pro-government media with budget money, to alter the election law according to his wishes and to leave the electoral roll unchecked,” Crvenkovski said.

The Social Democrats began a boycott of parliament in late January, after courts froze the bank account of A1, the most prominent TV station in the country.

The opposition conditioned its return to parliament on the unfreezing of the TV station's account, arguing that Gruevski effectively pulled the strings in the judiciary.
 
The opposition says it wants to see improvements to the election law, elimination from the electoral roll of fictional voters and eliminating of political interference in the judiciary before elections take place.

However Gruevski’s coalition holds an absolute majority in parliament, which gives it the power to call snap polls without the consent of the opposition. By law, elections are held 60 days after parliament votes to dissolve.

If elections happen without their approval, the Social Democrats have said they might boycott them. All other smaller parties have already accepted the idea for early elections, saying they are ready for a face-off.