Gordana Jankulovska

Releasing the latest in a series of wiretapped tapes on Tuesday, opposition Social Democrats leader Zoran Zaev said the conversations in the new batch of recordings prove the authorities tried to cover up the killing of 21-year-old Martin Neskovski.

Neskovski was beaten to death the night that the ruling VMRO DPMNE celebrated its election victory on June 6, 2011.

Top officials from Macedonia's ruling VMRO-DPMNE party did every unlawful activity they could think of in order to win the local election in 2013 in the municipality of Centar in Skopje, the mayor of the municipality, Andrej Zernovski, claimed on Thursday.

Macedonian police were maintaining a heavy presence on Friday in the capital, Skopje, where rival demonstrations had been announced in the city.

Ethnic Macedonians had been due to gather in front of the government building while ethnic Albanians were to rally in the city's mainly Albanian municipality of Cair.

International foundation assists the Balkans against organised crime

As the country gears up for the start of two election campaigns later this month, for both general and presidential elections, Macedonia's institutions say they are ready for the nationwide operation.