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Anti-Albanian Protesters Storm Macedonia's Parliament, Beat Proposed Coalition Leader

RFE/RL's Balkan Service April 27, 2017

SKOPJE -- About 200 supporters of Macedonia's nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party stormed into the parliament in Skopje on April 27 after an alliance of Social Democrats and ethnic Albanian parties approved an ethnic Albanian politician as the speaker of parliament -- despite a monthslong political crisis over the formation of a new government.

RFE/RL's correspondents inside the parliament saw protesters severely beat Social Democrat leader Zoran Zaev, the head of a proposed governing coalition that includes ethnic Albanian parties, and at least one ethnic Albanian lawmaker.

The demonstrators, waving Macedonian flags and chanting "VMRO-DPMNE," had jumped over barriers in front of the parliament after news emerged that Zaev's parliamentary alliance had elected ethnic Albanian lawmaker Talat Xhaferi, of the Democratic Union for Integration, as parliamentary speaker.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn condemned the violence, saying in a joint statement "the Interior Ministry and the police must ensure the security of the parliament and its members."

The demonstrators -- some wearing masks -- were not confronted by security as they jumped over the barrier outside parliament.

Once they reached the entrance foyer inside the parliament building, they fought against heavily outnumbered police to force their way further inside.

Police reinforcements entered parliament after the violence broke out, but authorities did not immediately attempt to suppress the protesters.

RFE/RL correspondents report that the demonstrators damaged doors inside, stole the mobile phones and cameras of journalists, and advanced into a press room where Zaev and ethnic Albanian members of his proposed coalition were conducting a press conference after Xhaferi's election as parliamentary speaker.

Zijadin Sela, leader of the Albanian Alliance, was among the lawmakers injured in the violence.

Blood could be seen streaming down Zaev's face as scuffles broke out between his supporters and those of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's VMRO-DPMNE party.

RFE/RL correspondents inside the parliament also came under attack along with other journalists there.

In their joint statement from Brussels, Mogherini and Hahn said they "take positive note of the election of Talat Xhaferi as speaker of parliament" and that "democracy must run its course."

"The European Union is convinced that political dialogue in the institutions is the only way forward," the EU officials said. "We urge all political actors to honor the constitution of the country and act in the spirit of democratic principles, decency and common sense."

The U.S. embassy in Macedonia said in an April 27 statement: "A majority of MPs elected Talat Xhaferi as speaker of parliament during a regular, continued session of parliament witnessed by members of the public and press."

The statement said the United States "will work with him to support democracy and to advance the interests of Macedonia.

Sweden's ambassador to Macedonia Mats Staffansson issued a statement on behalf of other European diplomats, saying: "It is the responsibility of the police of this country to make sure this kind of violence does not happen."

Macedonia's President Gjorge Ivanov – a member of the VMRO-DPMNE -- summoned political leaders late on April 27 for a meeting and called for calm.

Meanwhile, Albania's Foreign Ministry said late on April 27 that it was monitoring "the escalation of the situation in Macedonia with great concern."

In a statement from Tirana, the ministry said: "Such scenes of violence against the elected representatives of the Macedonian people are unacceptable."

Demonstrators have taken to the streets of Skopje repeatedly during the past two months to protest against the proposed governing coalition, saying the inclusion of ethnic Albanian parties is a threat to the country's national unity.

The VMRO-DPMNE -- which won elections in December but failed to build a majority coalition -- has, for weeks, successfully blocked Zaev from enacting a coalition deal that he reached with the ethnic Albanian parties to form a new government.

The protesters have praised President Ivanov for refusing to give Zaev's coalition a mandate to form a new government, even though it holds a parliamentary majority.

Xhaferi is the first ethnic Albanian to be elected as parliament speaker in Macedonia since the country declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.

VMRO-DPMNE lawmakers challenged the legality of the April 27 vote, saying it was not carried out electronically because the parliamentary session had formally ended.

About one-quarter of Macedonia's population of 2.1 million people is of Albanian descent.

Macedonia narrowly avoided civil war in 2001 after an uprising by armed ethnic Albanians who sought greater rights.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/macedonian-parliament- stormed-zaev-injured-beaten-vmro-dpmne/28455833.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.