Gruevski Invited to Form Macedonian Govt

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov on Monday entrusted Nikola Gruevski with a fresh mandate to form a new government after his VMRO DPMNE party narrowly won the December 11 elections.

He has 20 days to secure a majority of 61 in the 120-seat parliament and present a new team to parliament, or return the mandate.

The talks on a new government are expected to be tough for Gruevski whose party won 51 seats in the elections, only two more than the main opposition Social Democrats, SDSM.

To obtain a majority he will have to reach terms with one or more of the ethnic Albanian parties that jointly hold 20 seats.

On Saturday, they raised the bar for their participation in a coalition government after they signed a joint declaration on their agreed terms for joining any new government.

The declaration contained seven points, without concrete deadlines for their fulfillment, but containing ideas that they claim would ensure complete equality between the Macedonian majority and the Albanian minority - about a quarter of the population.

They centre on the rule of law and justice, economic equality, speedier EU and NATO integration and better neighbourly relations.

Among other things, the Albanian parties want the Albanian language made official over the entire territory of the country, not only in areas where they live in significant numbers.

They also want talks on changing the country's flag and anthem to reflect the Albanian component.

They also want Macedonia to sign a declaration that condemns "the genocide against Albanians" conducted between 1912 and 1956, which covers the period from the first Balkan War, when Serbia annexed Macedonia, to the early years of Communist Yugoslavia.

Gruevski...