Macedonia Court May Pardon Alleged Election Riggers

Several hundred Macedonian anti-government protesters on Wednesday pelted the Constitutional Court building in Skopje with eggs after judges voted to discuss annulling a provision in the law that bars the President from granting pardons.

They say it will open the way for the President to pardon a number of former senior government officials suspected of organising election fraud.

The initiative was filed three weeks ago by a young lawyer who is not well known to the public.

Although the Constitutional Court's decision is not yet final, critics say the court is clearly working in the interests of the main ruling VMRO DPMNE party, whose officials were recently named as suspects for election rigging.

Macedonia's Special Prosecution, tasked with investigating crime in high places, earlier this month launched investigations into several people, including two former ministers and a senior government official, suspected of organising election fraud during the 2013 elections.

Former police minister Gordana Jankuloska, former transport minister Mile Janakieski and the government secretary general Kiril Bozinovski, all members of the government of VMRO DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski, appeared before the court for questioning.

The court refused a Prosecution request to detain them in another controversial decision.

"This means that from now on anyone can rig elections and get away with it," law professor and human rights activist Mirjana Najcevska complained. "The government is usurping the rule of law," Najcevska added.

The former head of the Constitutional Court, Trendafil Ivanovski, accused the court of "giving legitimacy to the same people who have undermined the state."

Macedonia's Constitutional...