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Macedonia holds snap parliamentary election Macedonian premier Nikola Gruevski wins election
(1 day later)
Voters in the small Balkan state of Macedonia are going to the polls after an opposition boycott in parliament forced snap elections. Macedonia's Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski looks set to take office for a third term after his conservative party won parliamentary elections.
They are electing members to the 123-seat parliament in a vote that will be monitored by some 3,500 local and 330 international observers. Mr Gruevski's VMRO DPMNE party won 39% of the vote. The rival Social Democrats conceded defeat, after winning 32.7%.
Opinion polls give PM Nikola Gruevski's party the lead, but many believe it will fall short of winning a majority. However, Mr Gruevski will need to form a coalition to govern the small Balkan state for another four-year term.
High unemployment and a flagging economy are key voter concerns. The country faces high unemployment and a flagging economy. It is hoping for eventual EU and and Nato membership.
The impoverished state is also hoping for eventual EU and and Nato membership, but its aspirations have been blocked by Greece because of a 20-year-long name dispute. But those aspirations have been blocked by Greece because of a 20-year-long name dispute.
Greece has a province called Macedonia, and says the country cannot use the same name. The International Court of Justice is expected to make a decision on the issue later in the year. 'Grandiose projects'
'Smile and be polite' Greece has a province called Macedonia, and says the country cannot use the same name.
The opposition Social Democrats walked out of parliament in January in protest at what they called a politically-motivated crackdown by the government on the pro-opposition TV station A1. The International Court of Justice is expected to make a decision on the issue later in the year.
It was the latest in a growing list of grievances the opposition has against the government. The snap election was called after the opposition Social Democrats walked out of parliament in January in protest at what they called a politically motivated crackdown by the government on pro-opposition TV station A1.
They have accused Mr Gruevski of spending millions on grandiose building projects, when one in three Macedonians live below the poverty line and some 32% of the population is out of work, the Associated Press reports. It was the latest in a growing list of grievances the opposition had against the government.
Mr Gruevski insists his government has managed to preserve a stable economy and largely avoided the worst effects of the global economic crisis. They accused Mr Gruevski of spending millions on grandiose building projects, when one in three Macedonians lived below the poverty line and some 32% of the population was out of work, the Associated Press reports.
Meanwhile, the 7,000-strong police force monitoring Sunday's poll has been given strict instructions on how to behave, the BBC's Balkans correspondent Mark Lowen reports. Mr Gruevski insisted his government had managed to preserve a stable economy and largely avoided the worst effects of the global economic crisis.
An official manual states: "All police must maintain a positive attitude, with officers smiling and communicating politely with voters". Analysts say Mr Gruevski is likely to link up once again with his coalition partner, DUI, which won 10.2% of the vote.
"No officer should sit in a cafe, drinking beer or smoking or talking loudly.. and no voters should see a policeman in a bad mood". DUI represents Macedonia's ethnic Albanian minority, which makes up about a quarter of the population.