Macedonian parliamentary election, 2008
Encyclopedia
Early parliamentary elections were held in the Republic of Macedonia
on 1 June 2008 after the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia
voted to dissolve itself on 12 April 2008. The early election was proposed by the Democratic Union for Integration
after Greece
vetoed Macedonia's bid to join NATO at the 2008 Bucharest summit
over the Macedonia naming dispute
, and the request was supported by the ruling coalition of VMRO–DPMNE and the Democratic Party of Albanians
; the opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
and Liberal Democratic Party
boycotted the vote (thus, 70 of 120 MPs voted in favour of the motion, with all others absent from the vote). The elections were not due until 2010. This is the first time since independence in 1991 that Macedonia has had to call early parliamentary elections.
According to a poll of 1,108 citizens taken between 11 April and 15 April 2008, VMRO-DPMNE had a 29% rating, followed by SDSM with 11% and DUI
with 10%. A poll from 24 April and 25 April 2008 gave VMRO-DPMNE 26%, SDSM 12%, DUI 11% and DPA
7%.
The two major parties formed coalitions before the elections. VMRO-DPMNE has formed a coalition called "For a Better Macedonia" with eighteen smaller parties, including the Democratic Alliance, the Socialist Party of Macedonia
, the Democratic Renewal of Macedonia
and the Party of Justice. SDSM has formed the eight-party coalition "Sun – Coalition for Europe", which includes the minor parliamentary party New Social Democratic Party
. Recent polls saw For a Better Macedonia lead with 37% to Sun's 18%, followed by DUI with 11% and DPA with 6%.
Due to violence on the polling day, the election had been repeated in parts of three election districts (193 polling stations out of 2,976) on 15 June 2008; about 170,000 voters were eligible to vote in the rerun, and the results determined which of the two main Albanian parties will join VMRO–DPMNE in government.
The leader of VMRO-DPMNE and the winning coalition, also current prime-minister of the Republic of Macedonia
, Nikola Gruevski
announced the victory saying that this is the first time in the history of the Republic of Macedonia
, a party or coalition to be voted so many seats in the Macedonian parliament which shows that the Government of the Republic of Macedonia has worked very hard for the previous 20 months and the citizens rewarded that.
The leader of SDSM and its coalition, Radmila Sekerinska
admitted the loss, saying that she takes the responsibility for that. She also reminded that the outcome of the elections is about 2:1 in favor of VMRO-DPMNE's coalition and not 3:1 as the rating of the parties was before the elections which shows that the campaign led by her showed to be successful.
The outcome of the elections in the Albanian bloc of parties are not yet known due to irregularities in the election process, as voting in many parts of the Republic with dominant Albanian
populations is expected to be repeated. According to the preliminary results, the Democratic Union for Integration
has a slight lead over the Democratic Party of Albanians
among the Albanian electorate. However, both parties claim a large margin of victory. As such, both parties are asking for a repetition of the elections, since both claim multiple polls show them to be the winners among the Albanian portion of the electorate.
The Party for Democratic Prosperity
announced after the election on 3 June 2008 that it would merge with the DPA in the next few days, effectively making the DPA the larger of the two main Albanian parties and increasing its chances in the repeated elections.
, north of the capital Skopje. One person was killed and several were wounded.
The situation appeared to have calmed down by the time polls closed at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT).
There were also reports of ballot stuffing
and allegations of fraud in villages around Skopje during the early hours of voting.
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
on 1 June 2008 after the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia
Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia
The Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia, the Assembly , has 123 members, elected for a four year term, by proportional representation from 6 electoral districts, each contributing 20 MPs.- Result :...
voted to dissolve itself on 12 April 2008. The early election was proposed by the Democratic Union for Integration
Democratic Union for Integration
The Democratic Union for Integration is the largest Albanian political party in the Republic of Macedonia, and the third largest political party in all of Macedonia...
after Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
vetoed Macedonia's bid to join NATO at the 2008 Bucharest summit
2008 Bucharest summit
The 2008 Bucharest Summit or the 20th NATO Summit was a NATO summit organized in Bucharest, Romania on 2 – 4 April 2008. Among other business, Croatia and Albania were invited to join the alliance. Republic of Macedonia was not invited due to its ongoing naming dispute with Greece...
over the Macedonia naming dispute
Macedonia naming dispute
A diplomatic dispute over the use of the name Macedonia has been an ongoing issue in the bilateral relations between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia since the latter became independent from former Yugoslavia in 1991...
, and the request was supported by the ruling coalition of VMRO–DPMNE and the Democratic Party of Albanians
Democratic Party of Albanians
The Democratic Party of Albanians or DPA is a political party of the ethnic Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia. The DPA is a merger of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Albanians and the People's Democratic Party which took place in June 1997...
; the opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia is a centre-left political party in the Macedonia.It is the successor of the League of Communists of Macedonia, the ruling party during the communist regime which ruled SR Macedonia as a constituent republic of SFR Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1990. The current...
and Liberal Democratic Party
Liberal Democratic Party (Republic of Macedonia)
The Liberal Democratic Party is a liberal party in the Republic of Macedonia. The Liberal Democratic Party was launched in April 1997 as a merger between the Liberal Party and the Democratic Party...
boycotted the vote (thus, 70 of 120 MPs voted in favour of the motion, with all others absent from the vote). The elections were not due until 2010. This is the first time since independence in 1991 that Macedonia has had to call early parliamentary elections.
According to a poll of 1,108 citizens taken between 11 April and 15 April 2008, VMRO-DPMNE had a 29% rating, followed by SDSM with 11% and DUI
Democratic Union for Integration
The Democratic Union for Integration is the largest Albanian political party in the Republic of Macedonia, and the third largest political party in all of Macedonia...
with 10%. A poll from 24 April and 25 April 2008 gave VMRO-DPMNE 26%, SDSM 12%, DUI 11% and DPA
Democratic Party of Albanians
The Democratic Party of Albanians or DPA is a political party of the ethnic Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia. The DPA is a merger of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Albanians and the People's Democratic Party which took place in June 1997...
7%.
The two major parties formed coalitions before the elections. VMRO-DPMNE has formed a coalition called "For a Better Macedonia" with eighteen smaller parties, including the Democratic Alliance, the Socialist Party of Macedonia
Socialist Party of Macedonia
The Socialist Party of Macedonia is a political party in the Republic of Macedonia founded on 22 September 1990 as a successor of the Socialist Alliance of the Working People of Macedonia. The SPM proclaims that it is a left-wing democratic socialist party. The SPM was part of the coalition...
, the Democratic Renewal of Macedonia
Democratic Renewal of Macedonia
The Democratic Renewal of Macedonia is a centre-left political party in the Republic of Macedonia. The party split from the bigger Social Democratic Union of Macedonia several years ago. At the last legislative elections, 5 July 2006, the party won 1 out of 120 seats.- External links :...
and the Party of Justice. SDSM has formed the eight-party coalition "Sun – Coalition for Europe", which includes the minor parliamentary party New Social Democratic Party
New Social Democratic Party
The New Social Democratic Party is a centre-left social democratic party in the Republic of Macedonia. Its leader is Tito Petkovski, who parted with the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia in November 2005...
. Recent polls saw For a Better Macedonia lead with 37% to Sun's 18%, followed by DUI with 11% and DPA with 6%.
Due to violence on the polling day, the election had been repeated in parts of three election districts (193 polling stations out of 2,976) on 15 June 2008; about 170,000 voters were eligible to vote in the rerun, and the results determined which of the two main Albanian parties will join VMRO–DPMNE in government.
Outcome
Soon after the announcement of the preliminary results by the State Election Committee and the parties in the evening after the elections, it was clear that the coalition Za podobra Makedonija (For a Better Macedonia) is the absolute winner winning majority in the Macedonian parliament. According to the unofficial and preliminary results, this coalition led by VMRO-DPMNE won 64 out of 120 seats with about 46.7% of the vote, while the opposite coalition Sonce – Koalicija za Evropa (Sun – Coalition for Europe) led by SDSM won 28 seats and about 22.2% of the vote. The DUI got approximately 11.3% and the DPA 10.1% of the vote.The leader of VMRO-DPMNE and the winning coalition, also current prime-minister of the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, Nikola Gruevski
Nikola Gruevski
Nikola Gruevski has been Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia since 27 August 2006. He has led VMRO-DPMNE since May 2003. He was Minister of Finance in the VMRO-DPMNE government led by Ljubčo Georgievski until September 2002.- Personal life :...
announced the victory saying that this is the first time in the history of the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, a party or coalition to be voted so many seats in the Macedonian parliament which shows that the Government of the Republic of Macedonia has worked very hard for the previous 20 months and the citizens rewarded that.
The leader of SDSM and its coalition, Radmila Sekerinska
Radmila Šekerinska
Radmila Šekerinska Jankovska is the former leader of the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia and the leader of the opposition in the Macedonian Parliament...
admitted the loss, saying that she takes the responsibility for that. She also reminded that the outcome of the elections is about 2:1 in favor of VMRO-DPMNE's coalition and not 3:1 as the rating of the parties was before the elections which shows that the campaign led by her showed to be successful.
The outcome of the elections in the Albanian bloc of parties are not yet known due to irregularities in the election process, as voting in many parts of the Republic with dominant Albanian
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
populations is expected to be repeated. According to the preliminary results, the Democratic Union for Integration
Democratic Union for Integration
The Democratic Union for Integration is the largest Albanian political party in the Republic of Macedonia, and the third largest political party in all of Macedonia...
has a slight lead over the Democratic Party of Albanians
Democratic Party of Albanians
The Democratic Party of Albanians or DPA is a political party of the ethnic Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia. The DPA is a merger of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Albanians and the People's Democratic Party which took place in June 1997...
among the Albanian electorate. However, both parties claim a large margin of victory. As such, both parties are asking for a repetition of the elections, since both claim multiple polls show them to be the winners among the Albanian portion of the electorate.
The Party for Democratic Prosperity
Party for Democratic Prosperity
The Party for Democratic Prosperity or PDP is an ethnic Albanian political party in the Republic of Macedonia. The party was formed in April 1990 and is currently led by Abdyladi Vejseli....
announced after the election on 3 June 2008 that it would merge with the DPA in the next few days, effectively making the DPA the larger of the two main Albanian parties and increasing its chances in the repeated elections.
Violence
The tense elections involved episodes of violence, mostly between rival ethnic Albanian parties, the DUI and DPA. Shootings were reported in the Albanian-populated North-West of the country. A gunman opened fire on a Macedonian police unit patrolling the village of AračinovoAracinovo
Aračinovo is a village in the Republic of Macedonia, west of Skopje. It is the seat of Aračinovo Municipality. Aračinovo is one of the larger villages in Republic of Macedonia with a population of about 7,000....
, north of the capital Skopje. One person was killed and several were wounded.
The situation appeared to have calmed down by the time polls closed at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT).
There were also reports of ballot stuffing
Ballot stuffing
Ballot stuffing is the illegal act of one person submitting multiple ballots during a vote in which only one ballot per person is permitted. The name originates from the earliest days of this practice in which people literally did stuff more than one ballot in a ballot box at the same time...
and allegations of fraud in villages around Skopje during the early hours of voting.