SKOPJE: Macedonia’s opposition vowed to continue street protests after 20,000 people marched through the capital Skopje on Sunday demanding that the country’s embattled Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski step down.

With the small Balkan country divided by a deep political crisis — and still in shock after last weekend’s battle with ethnic Albanian gunmen in which 18 died — Gruevski’s supporters are to march on Monday after Sunday’s big show of force by the opposition.

“We will stay here in front of the government. Nikola Gruevski must resign,” the leader of the main opposition SDSM party Zoran Zaev told the crowds drawn up in front of the government’s neo-classical offices.

“Until he goes we are not going to leave either.” Gruevski — who only months ago seemed to have an unshakable grip on power — is now under pressure to assemble as many supporters for his rally in the capital on Monday evening.

Waving Macedonian and Albanian flags, opposition protesters chanted “Resign­ation!” and “Victory! Victory!” The rival demonstrations come after a year-long stand-off between Gruevski and his centre-left opponents that has split the multiethnic country of two million people.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2015

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