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[Tomche Makedonche]

Tomche:

In response, at least there's the potential for a movement for non-party Macedonians to organize something. I found it good to read that there are people out there who don't feel as if SDSM or VMRO represent the Macedonians and want their own seat at the table. Yet, it seems as if SDSM is trying to get them under there wing:

Yes it is definitely heartening to finally see the Lions standing up and letting themselves be heard amongst the masses, but unfortunately I am also inclined to agree with your suspicions that SDS will try and capitalise on this by seeking to manipulate/corrupt these new circumstances by filling in any potential additional places strictly with SDS allies/sympathisers or anti DPNE advocates in order to have multiple voices at the table that will only primarily serve the purpose of furthering Zajko’s own cause rather than the Macedonian people’s own cause.

Hopefully there is at least one Lion amongst them that can give both Grujo and Zajko a reality check, to show them that the fate of the Macedonian people and state is not a game for the political elites to play with as they please, nor will the people allow them to escape any accountability for corrupt or treasonous actions anymore.

[Tomche Makedonche]

http://www.voanews.com/content/eu-threatens-sanctions-over-macedonian-crisis/3297302.html

EU Threatens Sanctions Over Macedonian Crisis

Reuters
April 21, 2016 6:35 PM

BRUSSELS—
The European Union threatened sanctions on Thursday against Macedonian politicians who it says have obstructed efforts to end a long-running crisis after a push for EU-mediated talks failed.

Macedonia, a poor Balkan country on the frontline of the migrant crisis, has been in turmoil since the opposition accused then Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and his counter-intelligence chief in February 2015 of wiretapping more than 20,000 people.

Under an EU-brokered agreement, Macedonian politicians agreed last year to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the scandal and to hold early elections, but the process is on the brink of collapse.

The EU is willing to consider travel bans and asset freezes against politicians judged to be blocking progress, said an EU official involved in the mediation, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official said that Macedonia faced being shunned on the world stage unless its political leaders made a concerted effort to end the 14-month-old crisis, which deepened last week when President Gjorge Ivanov drew protests by pardoning 56 officials over the wire-tapping scandal.

"We are extremely concerned by the short-sightedness of the current government. The EU is willing to consider sanctions on politicians blocking a resolution of the crisis. Macedonia is heading towards international isolation," the official said.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn and three members of the European Parliament, who have acted as mediators, earlier admitted the failure of their efforts to bring Macedonian political leaders together for talks in Vienna on Friday.

Macedonia's opposition Social Democrats said they would only take part in the Vienna talks if Ivanov annulled the pardons.

They also want June 5 elections postponed until a free and fair vote can be held. They have pledged to boycott the election if it goes ahead.

The EU official said Ivanov must now annul the pardons as a pre-requisite for more EU-brokered talks.

"That is the number one priority. Only then can we go back and talk," he said.

In a statement, Hahn and the other EU mediators said Macedonia must take urgent steps to ensure the elections were credible and could be recognized by the international community.

The crisis could hinder Macedonia's attempts to join the EU and NATO, they said.

"We deeply regret retrograde steps that move the country further away from its aspirations towards European Union accession. In the absence of any further progress, we are now forced to consider further actions," they said.

Steps Macedonia must take to prepare credible elections include updating its voter list, the EU official said.

The United States and other countries have called on Ivanov to reconsider the pardons. Ivanov has stood firm, although he has said that any politician who had received a pardon could ask for it to be overturned in his or her individual case.

[Tomche Makedonche]

Apologies but for some reason I'm unable to copy the text for the following articles, however looks like the SPO today finally seeks to directly go after Gruevski (even though he is pardoned).


Special Public Prosecutor investigating 2011 demolition of a real-estate development

http://www.mia.mk/en/Inside/RenderSingleNews/323/133138330

Gruevski says Opposition SDSM puts Special Prosecutor's Office under its full control

http://www.mia.mk/en/Inside/RenderSingleNews/323/133139338

[Tomche Makedonche]

Latest from MINA...

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/29313/1/

70,000 gather in front of Macedonian Parliament to demand Elections
Thursday, 21 April 2016

1,000 protesters from SDSM and Soros gathered to give support to the SPO office, while 70,000+ gathered in front of Parliament and "Gate Macedonia" to demand elections.

The famous gate which was defaced by paint throwing Soros hooligans over the past few days, was now covered in the Macedonian flag.

The flag itself over the gate was a clear message to the Sorosites and their supporters that Macedonia will be defended.

Famous sportsmen and olympic athlete Atanas Nikolovski stated in front of the crowds:
- In a time when we are witnessing incredible success for Macedonia in all spheres, business, trade, sports, we have new state of the art sporting venue in practically ever sport ... now someone doesn't like this success and wants to take it away from us. Well, we know their scenarios, and our message is we will defend our Macedonia.

[Tomche Makedonche]

Another "Article" from MINA...

Telma TV: Zaev met with Albanian Diaspora, promised them Federalization
Thursday, 21 April 2016

We have demands, but we're part of the Diaspora and cannot decide. Everyone knows I want federalization of Macedonia, so I met with Zaev, we agreed, he's got my support, and you see right away Zaev received support from the new Albanian political parties, says Musa Ljamalari head of the Albanian diaspora in London - reports TV Telma.

Tomorrow's protest is organized by UCK, Soros, small islamist organizations and SDSM. The protest is slated to begin at 14:00 from Bit Bazaar, and will end in front of the Parliament.

[Risto the Great]

The United States and other countries have called on Ivanov to reconsider the pardons. Ivanov has stood firm, although he has said that any politician who had received a pardon could ask for it to be overturned in his or her individual case.

Wow. Did he say that with his tongue firmly in his cheek?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SK3y1a8TYs

[Tomche Makedonche]

http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21697319-leaked-wiretaps-suggest-top-politicians-broke-law-president-ordered-investigation

The next Maidan

Protesters want to topple Macedonia’s government over a corruption investigation
Leaked wiretaps suggest top politicians broke the law, but the president ordered the investigation stopped
Apr 21st 2016 | Europe

SMALL, poor and now possibly explosive. For over a week, tens of thousands of protesters have been marching in Macedonia, infuriated by the president’s suspension of a criminal investigation targeting some of the country’s top politicians. Supporters of VMRO, the party which has led the government since 2006, believe the opposition is preparing what they call a “Ukrainian” scenario to take power by force. The opposition, dominated by the Social Democratic party, accuses the VMRO of authoritarianism. Meanwhile migrants stranded in Greece by the closure of Macedonia’s frontier in March have been hurling themselves at the border fence, only to be rebuffed in clouds of tear gas.

Macedonia has enjoyed a higher international profile since last year, when hundreds of thousands of migrants began trooping through the western Balkans on their way to Germany and Sweden. The European Union sees it as a vital partner in stemming the migrant flow. But at the same time, the country has been lurching from crisis to crisis. The current one is the worst yet.

The trouble started in February 2015, when the Social Democrats began releasing recordings of leaked wiretaps gathered by the country’s security services (then run by a cousin of Nikola Gruevski, then prime minister). The security services seemed to have listened in on some 20,000 people, and the tapes suggested that Mr Gruevski and his associates had been involved in electoral fraud, corruption and covering up the details of two controversial deaths. A series of protests ensued. In May security services engaged in a mysterious shoot-out with Albanian guerrillas. When the migrant crisis flared up, the EU became convinced the country was on the brink of chaos, and sent a team of diplomats to intervene.

The EU team helped negotiate a deal between the government and the opposition to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate potential crimes revealed in the wiretaps. New elections were called, and Mr Gruevski stood down. (The election has since been postponed; it is now scheduled for June 5th.) But on April 12th the country’s president, Gjorge Ivanov, ordered a halt to the special prosecutor’s investigation, which by then had targeted 56 politicians. Most of them, including Mr Gruevski, were linked to VMRO. Quickly, protesters took to the streets.

Johannes Hahn, the EU commissioner in charge of enlargement, invited Macedonian leaders to an emergency meeting in Vienna on April 22nd to mediate a solution. But the meeting was cancelled after the Social Democrats refused to attend. The EU’s problem, says Nenad Markovikj, an analyst at Skopje University, is that it has completely lost its leverage. Macedonia’s application for EU membership has been blocked for two decades by a dispute with Greece over its name, and Macedonian voters have grown bitter. “The carrot is gone,” says Mr Markovikj, “and the stick [EU officials] hold is really, really small.”

So far the demonstrations have been largely peaceful. Supporters of VMRO argue that they have delivered solid economic growth, and that the opposition want a revolution because they know they cannot win the election. The Social Democrats say that past elections have been rigged and the mainstream media turned into a VMRO mouthpiece. They have pulled out of the elections.

Parties representing Macedonia’s ethnic Albanians, who make up a quarter of its population, have stayed out of the conflict so far, but that could change. The United States and several European countries have demanded that the president rescind his decision. Russia, predictably, accuses the opposition of plotting a foreign-backed coup.

Macedonia is a small country of 2m people, but what happens here matters for the region. Russian and Turkish influence is growing. Belief in the distant prospect of EU membership is fading. As a consequence, laments an EU source, Macedonia’s politicians “seem determined to damage their own country.”

[Tomche Makedonche]

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/21410166-07d3-11e6-b6d3-746f8e9cdd33.html#axzz46WoFlECI

EU considers freezing Macedonia’s membership ambitions
Andrew Byrne in Budapest

EU officials are considering imposing sanctions on leading figures in Macedonia’s government and freezing the country’s membership ambitions in a significant escalation of pressure on Skopje’s ruling elite.

Johannes Hahn, the EU’s enlargement chief, called off talks on Thursday between the country’s warring political leaders scheduled for Friday. He said “retrograde steps” by Skopje meant he was now “forced to consider further actions”.

EU officials said targeted sanctions, including travel bans, were on the table.

The EU warnings come after Gjorge Ivanov, Macedonia’s president and an ally of ex-prime minister Nikola Gruevski, declared an amnesty last week for more than 50 politicians being investigated over a wiretapping scandal that erupted last year.

The president’s pardon has provoked nightly demonstrations in Skopje and other cities, in the biggest political unrest for a year.

The surprise amnesty undid an important element of a deal brokered by EU and US diplomats last June to resolve the crisis that erupted when the opposition released taped phone conversations allegedly implicating government figures in illegal wiretapping, election-rigging and a murder cover-up.

The government denies any wrongdoing and says the tapes were manufactured by foreign intelligence agencies.

The “Przino Agreement” included establishing a special prosecutor to investigate the allegations of wrongdoing, revamping the election system and introducing requirements for balanced media coverage.

It also provided for early elections this year, with Mr Gruevski standing down as premier in January and parliament recently dissolved to prepare for polls planned for June 5.

An EU diplomat said unless the amnesty on the wiretapping investigations was suspended and swift progress made on delayed electoral reforms, the commission would withdraw its 2009 recommendation for Macedonia to begin formal EU accession talks.

The former Yugoslav republic of 2m people has been pushing for EU membership since 2005, but its efforts to begin accession talks since Brussels recommended they could start in 2009 have been blocked by Greece because of a dispute over the country’s name. At the same time, Macedonia has struggled with a weak economy and high unemployment since the global financial crisis.

The latest crisis comes at an awkward time for the EU, which is relying on co-operation with Macedonia to stem the tide of migrants travelling into the bloc via the so-called “Balkan route”.

In a further escalation, Brussels is now also considering targeted sanctions against leading members of the ruling VMRO party, including travel bans. A meeting of EU foreign ministers this week discussed adding senior political figures to a Schengen area travel blacklist, although no decisions have yet been taken.

The threat of sanctions against senior government figures echoes the “stage one” sanctions the EU imposed on Viktor Yanukovich, Ukraine’s erstwhile president, and his inner circle, shortly before he was deposed in 2014.

But introducing sanctions of this kind against leaders of an EU candidate country would be unprecedented. All 28 EU countries would have to agree such measures unanimously.

James Ker-Lindsay, senior research fellow at the London School of Economics, said: “The EU has been right until now to pursue a softly-softly approach to get the country back on track. But its now clear the government is unwilling to engage in good faith. They play games and they haven’t held up their side of the bargain. The EU now needs to take a more robust approach.”

Brussels is likely to withdraw Macedonia’s invitations to important summits in July, including a Nato meeting in Warsaw and a western Balkans gathering in Paris, if the situation does not improve.

“VMRO has been dragging its feet on election preparation. They are counting on the EU swallowing hard and this is a very bad calculation,” said the official, adding the country’s Nato membership ambitions had stalled and the country’s leaders were “digging themselves into a hole”.

EU officials said a credible poll on June 5 was still “hypothetically” possible but only if the blanket amnesty was suspended and accurate voter lists were completed.

Mr Ivanov announced the pardon on April 12, saying the special prosecutor was being used for point-scoring and that the amnesty would aid reconciliation. The amnesty covered figures from both governing and opposition parties.

The move shocked EU officials, who described it as “a direct attack on the rule of law” and a serious violation of the EU-brokered deal. The ruling party expressed “deep disagreement” with the president within hours of the decision.

But Mr Ivanov reaffirmed his decision on Thursday morning and said there was no clear legal basis for repealing the amnesty.

The latest developments have prompted a return of daily demonstrations on the streets of Skopje by rival pro and anti-government protesters.

While most demonstrations have been peaceful, analysts noted the potential for violence in the ethnically divided country, which was rocked by the killing of more than 20 people in the town of Kumanovo in May last year.

[vicsinad]

I don't know if a more politically in tune person on international relations can answer this, but is it common for countries (or in this case, the EU) to put sanctions on another country over internal disputes that haven't amounted to violence? Because that seems very intrusive and out of touch.

Also, Macedonian EU membership aspirations have been frozen for year thanks largely in part to Greek idiocy. I don't see how "freezing Macedonia's aspirations" will work in the Eu's favor or in Macedonia's favor. Such a move will likely just further divide the Macedonians because Grujo will say that the EU would have never let Macedonia in due to the name remaining Macedonia, and Zajko will use it as "proof" that Grujo has ruined the country's hopes of a prosperous future.

[Bill77]

"EU considers freezing Macedonia’s membership ambitions"

Ummm was it ever thawed?

[DraganOfStip]

http://www.dw.com/mk/%D0%B5%D1%83-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B2%D1%83%D0%B2%D0%B0-%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BA%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B2-%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8-%D0%B8-%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B7%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%9A%D0%B5-%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0/a-19205910

Google Translate:

EU prepares sanctions against Macedonian politicians and revocation of the recommendation
Penalties for leading politicians and revocation of the recommendation to start accession negotiations with the EU. These are the next steps of the EU in the cancellation of negotiations in Vienna, Deutsche Welle has learned from its sources in Brussels.

Brussels is seriously considering imposing sanctions against leading Macedonian politicians confirmed to Deutsche Welle sources in the European Union. The plan is prepared and is likely procedure would require a series of measures against individuals but also to the state will soon enter the procedure by the European Commission.
EU politician who insisted on anonymity afternoon DW confirmed that after President Gjorge Ivanov declared amnesty and gave talks in Vienna, it is the next step.
"It is true. Considering serious sanctions. The first step will be the revocation of the recommendation to start negotiations, "said the source.
Such a possibility, between the lines, was announced in a joint statement by Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn and the three MEPs who brokered the Macedonian political crisis, Richard Howitt, Ivo Vajgl and Eduard Kukan.
"In the absence of further progress, we are now forced to think about further steps to meet the requirements that were set by the EU Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament", it reads it.
Last week, the "Wall Street Journal" quoted an unnamed EU diplomat who raised the possibility of sanctions.
According to the source of Deutsche Welle, along with the revocation of the recommendation, it will be announced in advance that they will not be recognized election results of June 5th.
Targeted sanctions against individuals
The last step will be "targeted sanctions" against certain politicians.
"Targeted sanctions against politicians would include freezing of bank accounts and a ban on travel to the EU," said the diplomat.
The procedure measures the country and sanctions against politicians will be conducted by the European Commission in consultation with the EU Member States.
In Brussels, rejecting fears that such measures will only further exacerbate the crisis and will radicalize the situation. The fact that ex Nikola Gruevski and his associates will be further pressed to the wall can not be worse, because it is already dramatic.
"No we are not worried about it. Far more are concerned that the deteriorating situation and that the country is moving towards greater instability. Would not thought about such measures if we find is neopdhoni. It is a dangerous situation, "said EU politician who insists on anonymity.
date 21/04/2016

[vicsinad]

Here is a passage about the Protestiram movement from an article dealing with the larger issue (the entire article is worth a read).

http://cadtm.org/Social-upheaval-in-times-of

Beyond circulating information about protest meeting points, and documenting the different protests and guerrilla actions #Protestiram has created a new platform freed from the bounds of the structures of establishment politics. This has facilitated the mobilization of citizens and groups who wish to demonstrate their discontent with the current Government, but do not want to identify with or be seen as affiliates of an establishment political party. This applies specifically to the leading opposition party- SDSM, which revealed the wiretap scandal, and presents itself as the leader of the fight against VMRO-DPMNE. SDSM is associated with the neoliberal reforms of the 1990s, which impoverished the population, started privatization of the institutions, the commons and the electorate, and in fact paved the way for the rise of the current coalition. As such it has the power to push away a large section of the population that opposes the current regime but does not see itself represented in SDSM, or any other establishment political party. This is far from saying that SDSM has no mobilizing capacity. Due to its presence on the political scene since the country’s independence, its party network branches across the country, and through closely affiliated liberal NGOs, it still has the power to mobilize notable sections of the population.

Considering this, the protest movement, will be successful to the extent that it remains inclusive of the opposition party SDSM and their NGO collaborators from “liberal civil society” but will not be overtaken by either its structures or its discourse. Channeling the protest movement into merely an instrument for legitimating the negotiating position of SDSM (as was the case last year), would be a missed opportunity both for the continued appeal to a section of the demos, but also for a broader and deeper social movement to be built out of the current protest movement.

For the protest movement to evolve into a new social movement, it will need to be able to articulate a vision of an alternative society, built on two levels: democratic inclusion, and a new discourse on social justice. Inclusion is necessary in order to allow each class and social group to give their own meaning to what is happening and why they are protesting. And it requires new platforms of inclusion and articulation in the form of plenums, open forums, and joint actions, which will aim to build up a new civil society– one which is not based on an authoritarian leaning of the demos on political elites but rather corresponding to the newly discovered energy on the streets.

Its scope must go beyond the liberal, anti-corruption, uncritical pro-EU narrative, in order to address all three underlying conditions of the current predicament: the privatization of institutions, commons and the electorate.

[DraganOfStip]

http://cadtm.org/Social-upheaval-in-times-of

That was a hell of a read.A great ,unbiased analysis of the current situation really hitting the bullseye with every sentence.This is independent journalism at it's best.

[DraganOfStip]

And those "further actions" that the European representatives warned have started to come into effect.
The World Bank has stopped crediting Macedonian municipalities after member-states of this institution requested this from the board:

http://24vesti.mk/svetska-banka-naredila-celosno-zapiranje-na-kreditite-za-opshtinskite-uslugi-vo-makedonija

[vicsinad]

President Ivanov is supposedly tied to the Panama Papers through his brother-in-law. True or not, it's a true fiasco. I question every SDSM accusation, but it is very suspicious that Ivanov found it a convenient time to delete the company from the registry due to inactivity only after the Panama Papers scandal erupted. Not why any time before when it was inactive?

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/macedonia-president-denies-offshore-funds-scandal-04-25-2016

On Sunday, SDSM spokesperson Petre Shilegov said Ivanov's close family was directly linked to businesses registered in Panama.

Shilegov presented documents from the Macedonian central registry that he said show that Saso Tonevski, the President's brother-in-law, had business relations with the firm LIP Corp Panama City and that LIP Corp was a founder of the Macedonian firm Delfino Travel Balkans.

"Just days ago, when the [so-called "Panama Papers"] scandal about money laundering in Panama began to spread, Delfino Travel ceased to exist and has been deleted from the [Macedonian] central registry. What is Ivanov's family hiding?" Shilegov asked.

Ivanov's cabinet did not deny the existence of the said firm or its links to the President's family, but said that Delfino Travel was inactive and had not been used for any dubious activities.