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Macedonian Lawmakers Face Vote That Could End Stalemate

by Associated Press

   SKOPJE, MACEDONIA --

   Macedonian lawmakers were debating Wednesday ahead of a confidence vote
   to confirm Cabinet posts in a future center-left government that will
   end a six-month political stalemate.

   The midnight vote is for the confirmation of 26 ministers, including
   Prime Minister-designate Zoran Zaev, who leads the Social Democrats.
   Zaev has formed an alliance with two small ethnic Albanian parties to
   control 62 of parliament's 120 seats after coming second in December
   elections that produced a hung parliament.

   About a quarter of Macedonia's population is ethnic Albanian, and
   inter-ethnic tensions brought the former Yugoslav republic close to
   civil war in 2001. Under the coalition deal, nine Cabinet portfolios
   will be given to ethnic Albanians, including the economy, justice and
   European integration.

   The country has been roiled by political crisis since early 2015,
   sparked by a massive wiretapping scandal which left Zaev's party and
   the formerly governing VMRO-DPMNE conservatives with irreconcilable
   differences. Macedonia has been without an elected government since
   December, when former prime minister Nikola Gruevski's conservative
   party won elections but fell short of a parliamentary majority.

   The 42-year-old Zaev has pledged to focus on the economy, strengthening
   public institutions and joining the European Union and NATO. He wants
   to start negotiations with the EU and NATO ``as soon as possible.''

   Macedonia was granted EU candidate status in 2005. Neighboring Greece
   has blocked Macedonia's accession to NATO due to a long-running dispute
   regarding Macedonia's name, and has raised objections to its joining
   the EU.

   Zaev proposed Nikola Dimitrov, a former negotiator with Greece, as
   foreign minister. Radmila Sekjerinska, a former minister for European
   integration, was named for the defense ministry.

   President Gjorge Ivanov earlier had refused to give the mandate to
   Zaev, saying his pledge to consider enhancing the Albanian minority's
   standing would undermine Macedonia's sovereignty.

   The crisis threatened to reignite inter-ethnic conflict, with ethnic
   Albanian parties demanding, as a condition to join any new government,
   that Albanian be designated a second official language. A month of
   protests followed throughout the country.

   An angry mob stormed the parliament building last month after
   disagreements about the election of a new parliament speaker, leaving
   more than 100 people injured.