Macedonia’s Political Leaders Meet Again to Try to Resolve Crisis

A protester holds thumbs down over the crossed-out portrait of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski near the protesters tent camp in front of the government building in Skopje, Macedonia, 18 May 2015. Photo EPA/BGNES

The leaders of Macedonia’s four biggest political parties met on Monday in a fresh attempt to ease tensions and find a way for resolving the months-long political crisis.

The meeting has brought together Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, leader of conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, Ali Ahmeti, leader of the junior government coalition partner, ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), as well as the leader of opposition Social Democrats (SDSM) Zoran Zaev and Menduh Thaci, who is leading the Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA).

US Ambassador to Macedonia Jess Baily and the head of the EU Delegation in Skopje Aivo Orav are attending as observers.

The first meeting of the four leaders ended inconclusively on Thursday.

Zaev, who demands that Gruevski resign, has been releasing video recordings of wiretapped conversations since March, which purport to show evidence of corruption and government interference in the work of police, the judiciary and the media.

Gruevski denies the allegations and accuses Zaev of conspiring with an unnamed foreign spy agency to topple his government. He refuses tio resign, saying the government was formed according to Macedonians' political will in last year’s election.

Zaev and his SDSM party are boycotting parliament sessions, saying Gruevski has rigged the results of the vote.

 

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