Violence broke out in Macedonia’s Parliament on Thursday after an ethnic Albanian MP was elected speaker, sparking outrage from nationalists.
Hundreds of angry protesters surrounded and stormed the Parliament building demanding new elections, according to the Macedonian Information Agency.
It’s not clear how many people were injured, but the footage showed Social Democratic Union leader Zoran Zaev with blood on his face and head.
Attacked after the clash between protesters and MPs was also the leader of LR ADP, Ziadin Sela. There is a picture circulating in social networks where Sela is bleeding. Although he refused to speak in more details, Sela confirmed that he was surrounded by the hooligans and there was violence against him.
The American Embassy in Skopje condemned the violence and asked all parties to refrain from further actions.
“A majority of MPs elected Talaat Xhaferi as Speaker of Parliament during a regular continued session of Parliament, witnessed by members of the public and the press. We will work with him to support democracy and to advance the interest of Macedonia” the embassy said on Twitter.
To the recent developments in Macedonia reacted also Johannes Hahn, the EU Enlargement Commissioner: “I condemn the attacks on MPs in #Skopje in the strongest terms. Violence has NO place in Parliament. Democracy must run its course.”- Hahn said, on the social network Twitter.
Meanwhile Albanian President, Bujar Nishani, reacted regarding the attack wishing for the healing of the injured. Nishani condemned the violence done against the MPs, and welcomed Xhaferi’s election for the post of the Parliamentary Speaker.
Macedonia has been without a government since December, when former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski’s conservative party won elections, but without enough votes to form a government. Coalition talks broke down over ethnic Albanian demands that Albanian be recognized as an official second language. A quarter of Macedonia’s population is ethnic Albanian.
