Τετάρτη 24 Νοεμβρίου 2010

Opposition calls for early elections in Macedonia


waz.euobserver.com

SVETLANA JOVANOVSKA
Today @ 09:39 CET
Macedonia's main opposition party, the Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia (SDSM) is calling for early elections to try to bring down the coalition government.
The conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, which has held a majority in parliament since 2009, has not explicitly rejected the idea and could even benefit from it.

At a rally in the town of Stip last Sunday (21 November), SDSM leader Branko Crvenkovski accused the coalition of failing to secure Macedonian's entry into the EU and Nato.
During its summit in Lisbon on Saturday, Nato confirmed that Macedonia will be invited to join "as soon as a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue (with Greece) has been reached within the framework of the UN".
A similar statement will probably result from the next EU summit on 16 December in Brussels. Despite the European Commission's recommendation that accession talks should begin, they are unlikely to get going any time soon because of the unresolved naming issue with Greece.
Since its independence, the Republic of Macedonia has grappled with Greek refusal to allow it use the name of Macedonia. Athens has asked its northern neighbour to add a geographical modifier to distinguish it from Greece's northern province of the same name. The negotiations, which are taking place under UN auspices, have not yet produced a solution and Greece continues to block Macedonia's entry into Nato as well as accession talks with the EU.
Mr Crvenkovski also blamed the authorities for the country's problematic economic situation and high unemployment rate. He announced that the SDSM will file a vote of no-confidence against the government after next month's EU summit when the union is expected to decline the start of accession talks with Macedonia for the second year in a row.
The critics have in mind an alternative government that encompasses all Macedonian political parties except the VMRO-DPMNE. The new leadership would set conditions for organising free and fair elections in the spring or summer.
Although this is intended as a challenge to the incumbents, early elections could actually suit the VMRO-DPMNE. Speaking to Radio Free Europe in Macedonian, parliamentarian Petar Pop Arsov of the VMRO-DPMNE said his party had an excellent rating and from that point of view early elections were an option. "We will analyse the situation in the country and our further steps will depend on that," he said.
This statement by a top member of the party backs up unofficial announcements that VMRO-DPMNE could accept the challenge. It may hope to profit from its 23 percent rating in opinion polls, compared to barely 11 percent for the SDSM.
Most of the other opposition parties support the SDSM initiative even if some believe that Mr Crvenkovski is not the right man to lead the opposition to victory. Mr Crvenkovski has already been prime minister three times and president once, but did not have significant success in the development of Macedonia.
The Albanian coalition partner DUI, whose deputies have to support early elections in the parliamentary vote, is the key player. A party official said DUI would analyse Mr Crvenkovski's proposal until the end of next week.
"Our priority is the compromise with Greece and speeding up the Euro-Atlantic integration processes," said the official. Albanians do not feel affected by the name issue Macedonia has to resolve with Greece but they to want to be part of Nato and the EU as soon as possible.

waz.euobserver.com

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