Macedonian Parliament Dissolved Ahead of Early Elections

The building of the Macedonian parliament in Skopje. Photo: Wikipedia

The Macedonian parliament was dissolved on Thursday, paving the way for the holding of the early parliamentary elections scheduled to take place on June 5.

However the holding of the elections on this date remains under question as Zoran Zaev, the leader of the largest opposition party, the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), threatened to boycott the snap polls.

Speaking at a press conference late on Wednesday night, Zaev said that his party does not consider the necessary conditions to be in place for holding the elections, adding that SDSM will not contest the polls.

The elections were initially scheduled to take place on 24 April, but the date was postponed to June 5 after the opposition and the international community doubted the necessary conditions were in place for the holding of free and democratic elections.

In particular, SDSM has expressed concern over the electoral register and the lack of media reform, the Macedonian Information Agency (MIA) informs.

The ruling VMRO-DPMNE dismissed the claims of SDSM, saying that the electoral registry had been cleared and additional measures had been taken to minimize electoral fraud.

The early elections are part of the Przino agreement, which was reached between the leaders of the four largest parties in June/July last year, with the mediation of European Commissioner Johannes Hahn.

In compliance with the agreement on ending the politcal crisis, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski resigned in January and a caretaker government was appointed to oversee the preparation and holding of the early general elections.

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