European Forum

Opposition in Macedonia unites forces

In the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia  twelve opposition parties, mainly with leftist or centrist ideologies, have formed a block yesterday (1 February) that aims to topple the government led by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and his centre-right VMRO-DPMNE party. It is expected that the head of the main opposition Social Democrats party, Branko Crvenkovski, will have a central voice in the block. Currently, however, there is no official front man yet.

Wide opposition platform
The opposition parties that signed the platform for political activities are – apart form the SDSM – the New Social Democrats, the Liberal Party, the Party of Free Democrats, and the New Alternative. The Greens and several other smaller parties predominantly representing small ethnic minorities and pensioners also joined. Under the platform, the parties should cooperate and act to defeat the governmental policies at the next Parliamentary elections, as well as promote Macedonia’s strategic goals - the EU, NATO membership, further development of the interethnic relations and good-neighbourly ties. For Crvenkovski, an establishment of the opposition front is a significant move in a crucial moment for Macedonia. “It is open for all political parties, NGO, individuals,” he stated. "Our utmost objective is to defeat the VMRO-DPMNE-led coalition," Crvenkovski added at the promotion of the new block in Skopje. He argued that the parties have put their differences behind them and united at a critical moment for the state.

Populist government
The opposition admitted that various opinion polls say that the government has unmatched popularity among the people. However, the newly formed block argued that this was a result of the populist rule that had taken the country away from its top priorities, namely swift entry into the EU and NATO.

Poor economic record
The opposition also slammed the government for causing a severe economic downturn and for not keeping its promises in the sphere of the economy. They said that during Gruevski’s rule there had been a complete degradation of democratic freedoms and a total partization of the state.

Saying that they expect more parties to join them in the future, the opposition front argued that even if they fail to sweep the government from power in the short term, their pressure would force it to work better.

Sources: Skopje Diem; Balkan Insight