Elections in the Republic of Macedonia

An opinion poll published on Monday suggested that the gap between the main ruling VMRO DPMNE and the opposition Social Democrats, SDSM has significantly narrowed while the number of undecided voters who could determine the outcome of the December 11 election is still high.

Parties representing ethnic Albanians in Macedonia - about a quarter of the population - are campaigning on traditional ethnic issues in the December 11 elections, wooing voters with pledges to ensure greater use of the Albanian language and improve of the status of Albanians in the country.

The campaign for the upcoming snap parliamentary elections in Madedonia on December 11 has oficially begun on Monday, reported BGNES.

These will be the ninth parliamentary elections since the country declared independence in 1991. A total of 11 parties and coalitions will take part in the elections.

Macedonia's election campaign formally started on Monday and over the next 20 days the parties will be holding rallies and round tables and trying to visit as many places as they can.

Macedonian voters in the December early elections will no longer run the risk of being tricked into voting for the wrong party.

Macedonia's State Electoral Commission, the DIK, on Monday rejected the list of candidates submitted by the small and obscure Social Democratic Party of Macedonia, SDPM.

The ruling VMRO DPMNE party has nominated Johan Tarculovski, the only Macedonian convicted by the Hague war crimes tribunal, as a candidate in parliamentary elections on December 11.

Seven days before the November 11 deadline to register to vote, only about 5,500 Macedonians living abroad have registered in Macedonian embassies to cast ballots in the December general election, the State Election Commission, DIK, told BIRN on Thursday.

Macedonia's ruling party is attempting to prevent the formation of a third political bloc that aspires to the same kind of voters by tempting its members with coalition offers.

VMRO DPMNE has sent generous coalition offers to at least two small rightwing parties, the VMRO - People's Party and MORO - Workers Party, BIRN has found out from informed sources.

A recent opinion poll conducted in Macedonia suggests that the two old-established ethnic Albanian parties could face a serious challenge in the December 11 general elections.

Macedonia's ruling VMRO DPMNE says the fact that some of its top officials, including its leader, are under criminal investigations, need not prevent those persons from running in the December 11 general election.

Officially, the party says consultations about its list of candidates are still ongoing and that they have yet to decide whether to name Gruevski as the frontrunner.