Politics of the Republic of Macedonia

Zoran Zaev - Photo: AP

Macedonian (FYROM) SDSM party leader and pretender to the premiership Zoran Zaev believes that Macedonia will become "the 30-member of NATO."

Macedonian SDSM party leader and pretender to the premiership Zoran Zaev believes that Macedonia will become "the 30-member of NATO."

Zaev told the Podgorica-based daily Pobjeda that membership in NATO was important for Macedonia "because the military alliance, in particular for us in the Balkans, means stability, security and inviolability of borders."

Legal experts suspect that the charges raised against nine alleged participants in the April 27 violence in parliament are too mild and may be part of a plan to prevent them from ever standing trial for much more serious offences.

The prosecution charged the nine suspects with "participation in a violent crowd that prevented police officials from performing [their] duty".

The new speaker of Macedonia's parliament, Talat Xhaferi, on Thursday confirmed that he has sent a letter to President Gjorge Ivanov informing him that the Social Democrats command a majority in parliament - and so expect to be offered a mandate to form a government. The presidential cabinet has not yet confirmed receiving the notice.

SDSM leader Zoran Zaev said on Thursday that Macedonia will be "neutral" next time Pristina's bid to join UNESCO is put up for a vote.

Asked by TV Prva how Macedonia intends to vote, Zaev's only response was: "Neutral."

Zoran Zaev's SDSM party has announced that Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov will receive a letter from the newly elected parliament speaker Talat Xhaferi.

The letter contains the demand to give Zaev the mandate to form a government.

Macedonian police have apprehended 12 suspects in relation to Thursday's rampage in parliament when more than 100 people including MP's were injured. The Interior Ministry on Wednesday said a total of 20 suspects faced criminal charges so far.

Serbian government ministers have condemned the leader of Macedonia's main opposition Social Democratic Party, Zoran Zaev, for saying that the leadership of Serbia was nationalistic, accusing him of taking his orders from Albania.

Friends of Serbia do not behave the way SDSM leader Zoran Zaev has done, says First Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic.

The Macedonian politician earlier on Tuesday said that Serbs and Macedonians are "brotherly people" but that "nationalist leadership of Aleksandar Vucic" is in power in Serbia.

In what sounded like a softened position from his past tone, Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov on Monday said the problems blocking the formation of a new government could be overcome if the new majority in parliament presented strong guarantees for the preservation of the country's unitary character.