Albert Musliu

Nearly complete results in Macedonia's early general elections show the country's conservative coalition in a slim victory over its Social Democratic rivals, but with neither party winning enough parliamentary seats to form a government. Both sides have claimed victory.

The agreed December 11 date for early general elections in Macedonia is again under question after parliament continued its work on Wednesday instead of dissolving as planned, 60 days ahead of polling day.

The formal reasons for not dissolving parliament were ongoing debates about the 2017 budget and the need to approve a new agreement on electoral districts.

The German special envoy for Macedonia, Johannes Haindl, arrives in Skopje on Tuesday and is expected to revive Macedonia crisis talks as anti-government protester's patience runs thin.

With 30 cases under investigation and 80 suspects being probed for crimes ranging from election-rigging to large-scale bribery and tax evasion, the Special Prosecution is fulfilling its assigned task of digging into alleged criminal activity by high-ranking state officials, observers told BIRN.