Two things have become clear since the Macedonian parliamentary elections, held on Sunday 1 June. Firstly, the electorate has shown its support for the current Prime Minister’s strategy of remaining intransigent in the naming conflict with Greece. Secondly, the exact status of the Albanian community, which makes up 25 -30% of the country’s population, remains unresolved, as demonstrated by the numerous confrontations that marked the elections.

The Albanian question is certainly not a ‘minority’ issue in Macedonia. Even though Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski’s party, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO-DPMNE), achieved spectacular results, almost obtaining an absolute majority with 46.89% of the votes, according to the Macedonian party-system, an Albanian party must always be part of the governing coalition.

This caused major tension between the two main Albanian parties two years ago (the recent elections were snap elections). VMRO-DPMNE decided to come to an agreement with the Albanian Democratic Party (PDSh), even though the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI) received a larger share of the vote. In the latest elections, BDI obtained 11% of the votes, one point ahead of its opponent, and VMRO-DPMNE will now have to decide whether it wants to strike a deal with PDSh or BDI, knowing that the stability of the Albanian community depends on their decision.

In 2001 Macedonia’s ethnic Albanians led an armed revolt against the central government, demanding political and cultural recognition. The conflict, considered a civil war by some, led to the signing of the Ohrid Agreement, which guarantees Albanian participation in government as well as respect for Albanian language and culture.

International reaction
Both the European Union and the OSCE have expressed their “concerns” over the Macedonian elections, especially in areas with a majority Albanian population, where incidents caused some polling stations to be closed, preventing many from voting.

The EU’s opinion is particularly important to Macedonia since the country has applied for EU membership. Macedonia, which has a majority Slav population, is diplomatically isolated because Greece continues to veto the country’s admission to NATO. EU membership is considered a top priority in Macedonia, but the clear anti-Greece stance that emerged during the parliamentary elections could slow down the country’s accession.

Further information:

• Election results in MIA
  
• AlertNet: FACTBOX-Scenarios for Macedonia after election
  
• MónDivers: Un mort i incidents a les àrees albaneses als comicis de Macedònia
  
• OSCE: Violence in parts of the country tarnishes parliamentary elections, observers in Skopje say