Protesters rally at EU building in Skopje to demand new elections in Macedonia
The night after a violent incursion by nationalists into Macedonia’s parliament after the election of an ethnic Albanian as speaker, thousands gathered at the European Union representation’s office in Skopje to demand new parliamentary elections.
Reporting from Skopje, Bulgarian National Television said that the protesters condemned the violence in the Macedonian assembly.
The protesters were unable to reach the parliament building because it was cordoned off by hundreds of police. On the night of April 27, more than 70 people, including socialist leader Zoran Zaev, were injured in the assault on Macedonia’s parliament.
The protesters were made up of supporters of the “For a Unified Macedonia” civil movement and Nikola Gruevski’s VMRO-DPMNE party.
They expressed dissatisfaction with the election of ethnic Albanian Talat Xhaferi as speaker and demanded new parliamentary elections. They also called for a leadership meeting between Social Democrats leader Zaev, Gruevski, and Albanian parties, under the auspices of president Gjorge Ivanov.
“For a Unified Macedonia” leader Boris Damovsky condemned the violence, but said that the election of Xhaferi had been the straw that broke the camel’s back, the report said.
