Yesterday supporters of Nikola Gruevski’s VMRO-DPMNE stormed the Macedonian parliament, attacking future Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, head of the SDSM. The protest erupted after the parliamentary majority led by Zaev’s social-democratic party elected a new speaker of parliament, Talat Xhaferi of the Albanian minority party BDI.
National television stations transmitted live images of the attack against Zaev after he announced the election of a new speaker of parliament. The protesters entered the plenary hall and attacked at least 15 deputies.
Before the attack, Zaev had told Reuters:
With 67 votes we have elected a new speaker of parliament. I want to congratulate Tala Xhaferi and wish him good luck.
Xhaferi is the first speaker of parliament from the Albanian minority since the independence of the country from former Yugoslavia in 1991.
Gruevski’s VMRO-DPMNE declared the election of Xhaferi was invalid because it wasn’t held by means of the electronic voting system.
Since the elections of December 2016 Macedonia has been in a deep crisis after President Gjorgje Ivanov refused to give a mandate to Zaev to form a new government.
Electing a new speaker of parliament now opens the possibility of installing Zaev’s government regardless of President Ivanov’s refusal.
