North Macedonia’s Opposition Party Leadership Resigns
The entire leadership of North Macedonia’s opposition party SDSM has stepped down, following a request from the party’s chairman
HOT: » Which party would you vote for (if you could) in the upcoming snap vote in Bulgaria on April 19?
Opposition leader Zoran Zaev gestures during a press conference in Skopje, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, February 09, 2015. Photo by EPA/BGNES
The leader of Macedonia's main opposition party has presented what he describes as a proof that the cabinet interferes with courts, local media suggest.
Zaev, who heads the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), has also been claiming that Gruevski's government is using its powers to eavesdrop on 20 000 people including reporters, religious leaders, and politicians.
He was accused in end-January by police and by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski of attempting to stage a coup d'etat together with a foreign intelligence service.
The opposition leader had argued he had obtained evidence of the government's wrongdoing without elaborating.
On Sunday, however, he published excerpts from five recorded conversations in which a Deputy Prime Minister, alongside other government members, are purportedly heard discussing the outcome of key trials and the appointment of judges to senior positions within the judiciary.
A total of five conversations were published at the party's press conference where the leader argued "all socially important people" had been eavesdropped.
Zaev is quoted by Utrinski Vesnik as saying the recordings should convince Macedonians there is a link between the executive and the judiciary.
"You will see how strong is the control Gruevski's people have on the judiciary," he opined.
The Prime Minister, on the other hand, believes Zaev is trying to blackmail him into resigning and triggering early elections, an accusation he denies.
Macedonia's Chief Prosecutor warned media outlets not to disclose information on the case before it was thoroughly investigated.
SDSM, the largest opposition party, have been boycotting parliament since Gruevski's VMRO-DPMNE party won April 2014 general election and formed a coalition government. The Social Democrats allege VMRO-DPMNE’s victory was won through electoral fraud.
Turkish authorities have launched a full-scale investigation after a shooting outside a building hosting the Israeli consulate in Istanbul left two attackers dead, one wounded, and several police officers injured
Fares for the Bucharest metro system are set to increase by 40 percent starting May 1, according to a draft regulation published by Romania’s Ministry of Transport and reported by Agerpres.
The United States is expanding shipments of liquefied natural gas to Southeast Europe and Ukraine via Greece, according to remarks by the US Ambassador to Athens, Kimberly Guilfoyle
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has formally requested that the immunity of 11 Greek members of parliament be lifted as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged misuse of EU agricultural subsidies
Greece has raised its minimum monthly wage to 920 euros as of today, marking an increase from the previous level of 882 euros, according to official information
Former Foreign Minister of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, has said that the current political trajectory in Skopje is the result of a broader balance of external and internal factors, including what he described as influence from anti-European forces and
Aniventure Comic Con Returns to Bulgaria with Star Guest Christopher Judge!
Global Fuel Shock: Oil Jumps Over 40% Since Iran War Began