Leadership Contest Shakes Macedonian Opposition Party

The central and the executive committees of Macedonia's opposition VMRO DPMNE party have until Friday to address the complaints of some 30 prominent party members who claim that the election of a new leader, slated for this weekend at a party congress, will be marred by fraud.

"Only one candidate [for the leadership] is being favoured, helped and supported by the entire party infrastructure," an open letter signed by party members, published on Tuesday, complains.

"Delegates are being pressured to sign behind one candidacy. Threats of exclusion from party ranks are being used against those who refuse to back him," it added.

The signatories include two current MPs and potential candidates for new leader, Antonijo Milososki and Ilija Dimovski, a former parliamentary speaker, Trajko Veljanoski, as well as party veterans Boris Zmejkovski and Goran Manojlovski.

They did not identify the name of the candidate they accuse of applying pressure. However, the media have revealed that thus far only the party Secretary, General Hristijan Mickovski, has managed to gather formal support from party delegates for his candidacy.

Mickovski is seen also as the choice of former leader and former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. He, however, has denied allegations that he is secretly backing Mickovski.

The prominent party members in the letter demand the postponement of the vote from this weekend to February next year. They also want the inclusion of all local party committees in the voting process and the establishment of transparent mechanisms that would allow delegates to report pressure.

Meanwhile, the signatories propose the election of a collective caretaker leadership made up of three to five members.

If the...