Albanians cause violence during elections in Macedonia

AmusedToDeath · #1 (**permalink**) 06-05-2008, 11:39 AM

Macedonia's PM claims victory in election marred by violence

Quote:

Macedonia's prime minister declared victory in the country's parliamentary election after a vote that was marred by gun battles that left one person dead.

Nikola Gruevski said his centre-right VMRO-DPMNE party won enough votes Sunday to gain a majority of parliament's 120 seats.

Official results have yet to be released, but initial returns showed VMRO far ahead of the opposition Social Democrats.

Gruevski described his win as a "historic victory," and headed to the capital's main square where hundreds of supporters waved party flags and chanted his name.

The gun battles that left one dead and eight others wounded were a blow to the Balkan country's hopes of proving its credentials to join the European Union and NATO.

The violence in ethnic Albanian areas forced authorities to suspend voting at 22 polling stations — one per cent of the country's total, State Electoral Commission spokesman Zoran Tanevski said.

The government said voting would be repeated in those polling stations in two weeks.

"We are deeply concerned by the many … corroborated reports of not only acts of intimidation, but also blatant violence, shooting, injuries to innocent people," Erwan Fouere, head of the EU office in Macedonia, told the Associated Press.

One person was killed and eight wounded in shootouts Sunday between rival ethnic Albanian groups or in standoffs with police, Interior Ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski said. Twenty-one people were arrested.

Ethnic Albanians make up about a quarter of Macedonia's 2.1 million people. Rebels fought a six-month insurgency in 2001 for more rights, but now the two main ethnic Albanian political parties are locked in bitter rivalry.

For weeks, the parties — the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) led by former rebel leader Ali Ahmeti, and Menduh Thaci's Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA) — have been embroiled in a frequently violent campaign.

Tensions between the two have been high since the 2006 elections, when Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski picked the DPA as a governing coalition partner even though it had won less votes than the DUI.

Those detained Sunday included former rebel commander Agim Krasniqi, who had led a group of 50 armed people into a village north of Skopje in 2004 claiming the government and ethnic Albanian leaders had broken promises to provide former rebels with amnesty and jobs.

Ahmeti's DUI said it would not recognize election results in seven municipalities, including in the main ethnic Albanian town of Tetovo, in the country's northwest, because of the violence.

"Macedonia has failed in the test of organizing free and democratic elections, which is the key test to establish a democratic state," said DUI election official Izet Mexhidi.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/0...-election.html
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=105&sid=1413284
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080601/...ia_election_dc

This is the STEP No2 I was talking about toward creating the Greater Albania, slowly marking its beginning.

STEP No3 is MOntenegro and STEP No4 is Greece.

Soon enough, USA and Europe will understand the major mistake they made with the Kosovo issue,by supporting the Albanian side.

Illyrian Princess · #2 (**permalink**) 06-05-2008, 12:06 PM

Amused, Albanians there are not given rights like everybody else.

Just like homosexuals in Serbia.

Can you blame them?

Quote:

Three Macedonian policemen, including the former deputy director of public order, have been arrested in connection with violence during Sunday's parliamentary election, authorities said Wednesday.

AND

Quote:

DUI said it will hold demonstrations in the capital, Skopje, on Thursday to protest what they called "manipulations and illegitimacy" of the elections.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/...-Elections.php

According to OSCE/ODIHR,the elections failed to meet International standards.

AmusedToDeath · #3 (**permalink**) 06-05-2008, 02:28 PM

Albanians are granted the highest level of minority rights available in the world today in Macedonia. But that is not enough. And it is not about their rights, it's all about the land. They want half of Macedonia to fulfill their goal.

Illyrian Princess · #4 (**permalink**) 06-05-2008, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmusedToDeath

Albanians are granted the highest level of minority rights available in the world today in Macedonia. But that is not enough. And it is not about their rights, it's all about the land. They want half of Macedonia to fulfill their goal.

What are those rights? Can you please cite your sources?

Thanks.

AmusedToDeath · #5 (**permalink**) 06-06-2008, 01:29 AM

I believe you are the one to tell what rights are denied to the Albanian minority in Macedonia, and if that denial is so intense to cause violence and terrorism.

Illyrian Princess · #6 (**permalink**) 06-06-2008, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmusedToDeath

I believe you are the one to tell what rights are denied to the Albanian minority in Macedonia, and if that denial is so intense to cause violence and terrorism.

Sorry for the disappointment, but your beliefs are wrong of me. Now, why go as far as terrorism? You KNOW I am against it. Yet you still keep asking me "believing" that you think you know me.

Amused, I only want an intellectual conversation. Are you in?

AmusedToDeath · #7 (**permalink**) 06-06-2008, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illyrian Princess

Sorry for the disappointment, but your beliefs are wrong of me. Now, why go as far as terrorism? You KNOW I am against it. Yet you still keep asking me "believing" that you think you know me.

Amused, I only want an intellectual conversation. Are you in?

Sure I'm in. I'm always in

So, what would be the reason of existence of the ANA (Albanian national army) in Macedonia? Aren't there democratic ways to achieve certain rights instead of terrorism?

Kiwi · #8 (**permalink**) 06-06-2008, 04:27 AM

It's nearly impossible for those who lack rights to gain them through democratic means.

That said, any terrorism or such is not tolerable. I heard about two different Albanian parties attacking each other in Macedonia. I'm not sure what the reasons for that were. Does anyone know why they dislike each other?

Many Albanians are peacefully voting in Macedonia, but 10 000 of them are less important to the media than 10 Albanians using terrorism or violence. Just as with any ethnic group and in any country.

Illyrian Princess · #9 (**permalink**) 06-06-2008, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmusedToDeath

Sure I'm in. I'm always in

So, what would be the reason of existence of the ANA (Albanian national army) in Macedonia? Aren't there democratic ways to achieve certain rights instead of terrorism?

Thanks Kiwi. You seem like a very intellectual guy. =)

Sharing what I do know,they fight for a greater fairer treatment for the Albanian communities in Macedonia. They fought against the Serbs as well during the Kosovo war and they also believe that all Albanians should get together like before and once again live in unity.

Serbs, not suprised, call them "terrorists" and consider them a threat despite the arguments that they were never and are not a serious threat. They are probably just a bunch of delinquent kids looking for trouble.

It's nothing like a Serbian terrorist. <--- Attempted Sarcasm.

AmusedToDeath · #10 (**permalink**) 06-06-2008, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illyrian Princess

It's nothing like a Serbian terrorist. <--- Attempted Sarcasm.

Attempted it is... Since there are no Serbian terrorists, nor did such a category ever exist.

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