2015-05-18 09:36:00

Tense calm returns after Macedonia protests


(Vatican Radio)-- A tense calm returned early Monday to the capital of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia after at least tens of thousands of protesters demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski following a spying scandal and deadly ethnic clashes.  

Listen to the report by Stefan Bos:

The opposition said as as many as 100,000 people demonstrated in Skopje against the conservative government leader amid outrage over leaked records revealing the illegal wire tapping of as many as 20,000 Macedonians, including journalists, political opponents and even religious leaders. 

Gruevski has denied wrongdoing saying the opposition wants to stage a coup backed by unnamed foreign intelligence agencies. 

Yet, Zoran Zaev, the leader of the opposition Social Democrats who revealed the scandal, says the prime minister does not want to leave as this would "confirm" his involvement in the scandal. Zaev, who helped organize Sunday's protest, said last week's resignations of Gruevski's closest aides shows something is wrong. 

He said the resignations of the Interior and Transport ministers, Gordana Jankuloska and Mile Janakieski, and intelligence chief Saso Mijalkov, "confirm the meaning of all these [recorded] phone conversations."

SAVING SKIN?

Zaev accused the prime minister of seeking to maintain in the country's "highest position" as he wants to "safe his skin because he must go in front of a court."  

Gruevski is also under pressure over a shootout over a week ago between police and ethnic Albanian gunmen that left 18 dead in a border town. 

However despite the tensions ethnic Albanians and Macedonians appeared united during the anti-government protest, where speakers also mentioned economic difficulties and high unemployment.  

Though most left, more protests were planned Monday and hundreds of demonstrators set up tents in Skopje. 








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