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Election Date: June 1, 2008

At stake: Assembly

Background

Macedonia was a part of Yugoslavia until it declared its independence in 1991. The new country became a member of the United Nations (UN) in 1993. Macedonia had to register in the UN under the provisional name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), because Greece expressed concern over potential territorial claims to one of its provinces, which is also known as Macedonia.

The name dispute between Greece and Macedonia continues to this day. Greece has imposed two trade embargoes against the country as a result. The dispute has also harmed Macedonia’s aspirations to enter certain international bodies, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU).

Macedonia has been split along ethnic groups—ethnic Albanians and Macedonians—since it was a part of Yugoslavia. In 2001, the country came close to a civil war, as representatives of the ethnic Albanian minority became engaged in a series of violent battles that forced many residents to flee. The conflict ended with a new constitution, which guarantees Albanian rights. Albanian became of the country’s two official languages.

The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization - Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) governed from 1998 to 2002, after abandoning its nationalist image in favour of a more inclusive approach.

In the September 2002 elections, a center-left group came to power. Branko Crvenkovski of the Together for Macedonia coalition became the new prime minister.

In February 2004, Macedonian president Boris Trajkovski was killed in a plane crash. In April , Branko Crvenkovski—who had served as prime minister—was elected to replace Trajkovski.

Click here for Macedonia 2004 Election Tracker 

In August 2004, new legislation granted ethnic Albanians more local autonomy in certain regions.

Macedonia held an early legislative election in July 2006. Final results gave the right-of-centre VMRO-DPMNE 32.5 per cent of the vote, followed by the Social Democratic League of Macedonia (SDSM) with 23.3 per cent. In August, Nikola Gruevski became prime minister.

Gruevski decided to include the Democratic Party of Albanians (PDSH) in the new government instead of a coalition that had garnered more votes—the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI) and the Democratic Prosperity Party (PPD)—which triggered protests in some parts of the country.

Click here for Macedonia 2006 Assembly Election Tracker 

In December 2006, Macedonia officially became a candidate for EU membership.

In May 15, 2007, the VMRO-DPMNE became an observer-member of the European People’s Party (EPP).

2008 Assembly Election

During a NATO summit in early April, Greece blocked Macedonia’s invitation to join the alliance over the country’s name. On Apr. 21, Macedonian president Branko Crvenkovski wrote a letter to United Nations (UN) secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to protest against Greece’s decision, saying it violated a 1995 accord that stipulated Greece would no block Macedonia’s bid to access NATO if it applied under its Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) name. The president claimed that Greece "has violated the 1995 accord when it vetoed Macedonia’s membership to NATO at the Bucharest Summit. (…) Greece objected to Macedonia’s membership invitation by setting a pre-condition of reaching a mutually acceptable solution to the differences over Macedonia’s name."

On Apr. 8, just days after Macedonia’s NATO bid was trumped by Greece, the ethnic-Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) called for early elections to secure a stronger government capable of passing legislation on delicate issues. In a statement, the party declared: "The resolution of the name dispute with Greece and some other issues require the engagement and function of the institutions with full capacity which the government lacks."

On Apr. 11, Macedonian lawmakers voted in favour of dissolving the government and holding an early legislative ballot. Ljubisa Georgievski, the Parliament’s speaker, said after the vote: "I can state that the parliament voted its dissolution and I wish you all the best in coming elections." Macedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski said he backed the decision to hold a snap election in order to gain a stronger mandate that would allow his party to introduce economic reforms.

This will be the first time Macedonia holds an early election. The ballot had not been expected until 2010.

On Apr. 23, the European Parliament voted in favour of accelerating Macedonia’s bid to join the EU. The motion seeks to open "accession negotiations before the end of 2008, which will further enhance the stability and strengthen the European prospects of the western Balkans.’’ The parliament also called for Greece and Macedonia to "immediately’’ resume talks over the name dispute.

On May 5, Gruevski said all Macedonians should express their views on the dispute with Greece, adding, “A handful of politicians cannot decide on such an issue without asking the people in a referendum.”

An April poll by the Center for Research and Policy Making placed the VMRO-DPMNE as the frontrunner in the election.

Political Players

President: Branko Crvenkovski - SDSM
Prime minister: Nikola Gruevski - VMRO-DPMNE

The president is elected to a five-year term by popular vote.

Legislative Branch: The Sobranie (Assembly) has 120 members, elected to four-year terms; 85 members are elected in single-seat constituencies, and 35 members are elected by proportional representation.

Results of Last Election:

President - Apr. 14 and Apr. 28, 2004

Assembly - Jul. 5, 2006

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