Early elections in Macedonia as government collapses over rights for Albanians

Early parliamentary elections will be held in Macedonia on June 1 after the government in Skopje collapsed over the demands by the Albanian community for greater rights following Kosovo Albanian unilateral declaration of secession.

(KosovoCompromise Staff) Monday, April 14, 2008

Macedonian government junior coalition partner, the Democratic Party of Albanians (PDSh), had been threatening to leave the cabinet since mid-March, unless Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski meets a series of serious demands, including the recognition of neighboring Kosovo.

The Macedonian political scene has been tense ever since Pristina unilaterally declared the independence from Serbia in mid-February,  largely due to the obvious gap between the Macedonian majority and the ethnic Albanian minority which comprises roughly a quarter of country's two million population.

PDSh chief Menduh Thaci had warned of a grave political crisis in Macedonia, following the government's slow response to demands, which include recognition of independent Kosovo, state-funded care for former ethnic Albanian rebel fighters, and the recognition of Albanian as the country's second official language.

PDSh, formerly led by ultra-nationalist Arben Xhaferi, has often been accused of wanting to secede the country's Albanian-dominated western part and possibly join neighboring Kosovo.