Violence Erupts as Protesters Storm Macedonia Parliament

Violence erupted inside Macedonia's parliament on Thursday as protesters supporting the former ruling VMRO DPMNE party stormed the building, angry over the election of new parliament speaker Talat Xhaferi by the former opposition.

People wearing hoods to conceal their faces and other protesters first breached the main entrance and then, after brawling with police, managed to enter the press hall where many MPs from the new majority and journalists remained trapped at the time of publication. Protesters also got into the parliament's main plenary hall, eyewitnesses reported.

The leader of the main party in the new majority - Social Democrats, SDSM president Zoran Zaev - plus three other lawmakers from his party were reported by media crews that were present in the parliament as hurt in the brawl inside parliament.

The EU and US ambassadors in Skopje in a joint statement called for "dialogue", urging the police to establish control over the situation.

The head of the VMRO DPMNE, Nikola Gruevski, posted a message on Facebook saying that "violence is not the solution", urging the protesters to calm down.

The incident occurred shortly after afternoon a majority of 67 MPs in the 120-seat parliament elected the new parliament speaker - the next step towards the establishment of the new opposition-led coalition government.

"Dear citizens, my country, I congratulate you on the election of the new parliament speaker and God speed to all of us," SDSM leader Zoran Zaev told a press conference inside parliament immediately before the former ruling VMRO DPMNE activists stormed the building.

The VMRO DPMNE party who has been filibustering the constitutive session for a month, not allowing the election of a new speaker.

It said that...