HEAVY BLOW TO MACEDONIAN POLITICS
National.
Macedonia's aspirations to join the European Union and NATO suffered a heavy blow on Sunday when violence and allegation of fraud marred the parliamentary elections.
This is the keynote of most of the Western newspapers saying that one person was shot dead and nine were wounded in the ethnic Albanian areas during voting.
"One person was shot dead and nine were wounded in the country's ethnic Albanian areas during voting that had been seen as a test of Macedonia's democratic credentials as it seeks to join the European Union and overcome a recent rebuff in its attempt to join NATO," New York Times said.
Instead, the country’s reputation as a problem child of the Balkans was underscored. Violence erupted between rival ethnic Albanian groups, and accusations of election fraud included broken or missing ballot boxes and stolen voting materials, the paper said.
Voting was suspended in numerous polling stations because of irregularities. Independent election monitors contended that the abuses undermined the vote's credibility.
Denis McShane, a former Europe minister in Tony Blair’s government in Britain who was in Skopje on Sunday as a monitor for the Council of Europe, said the vote would have no legitimacy unless new elections were called.
"This vote is a tragedy for supporters of Macedonia’s E.U. and trans-Atlantic future," he said. "Nobody can form a government on the basis of an election in which police have stuffed ballot boxes and thugs are attacking polling stations."
French Liberacion daily says the bloodshed is a disgrace to the Balkan country which hoped to hold flawless elections and show it is prepared to become member of EU and NATO.
British Daily Telegraph said Macedonia's hopes to join NATO and EU suffered a serious blow as Sunday's parliamentary elections were marred with widespread violence. Election Commission suspended voting at 20 polling stations because of violence and vote tampering.
MD: When will they learn violence is not the way to go, they are ruining it for the whole country!! This is going to cost Macedonia much, and is certainly not leaving a positive print on the world. Foreign politicians already started to speak about 'Immaturity', and 'not ready to join'.
[Makfax]
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