After a contentious election campaign, Macedonians on Sunday went to the polls in parliamentary elections that could be an important test in the country's bid to join the European Union and NATO. Both major parties claim to have proof that the other party has committed pre-election misconduct.

The incumbent VMRO-DPMNE, led by populist Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, has accused the opposition of planning to stoke unrest after the election by claiming fraud and organize violent protests if they lose.

"We have proof that they plan to gather in front of the government and create disorder," Defense Minister Zoran Konjanovski told reporters in Skopje.

The opposition Social Democrats accused the government of intimidating voters, amid media reports that civil servants have been warned they must vote for the ruling party if they want to keep their jobs.

"The government has not intention to organize a free, fair and democratic vote, and the proof is that they have bought mini cameras so that voters must prove with a photo that they have voted for them," Andrej Petrov, a Social Democrat candidate, told the news agency Reuters.

'Too much at stake'

Macedonia does not have a perfect track record when it comes to elections and observers will be watching closely to see whether the election meets democratic standards or not. Western powers have made it clear that the country's future membership in the EU and NATO depend on how well the elections are conducted.

"There is too much at stake. If any of those predictions come true, this small country is risking its future. The EU will be further that ever," a senior Western diplomat told Reuters.

Macedonia officially became a candidate to join the EU in 2005, but so far Greece has blocked its membership over a name dispute. Greece has a northern province called Macedonia and says that the use of the same name by its neighbor is an attempt to claim Greek territory.

Both parties sidestepped the issue in the election, only promising that any name change would be approved by a referendum.

Kingmaker Albanians

Pre-election polls predicted a win for the ruling party, but not with enough votes for an outright majority. The VMRO-DPMNE might find itself courting support from the sizeable Albanian population after the polling stations close. The party that wins the most seats in the Albanian bloc typically plays kingmaker and becomes a key partner in the governing coalition.

Some 1.8 million people are eligible to vote at some 3,000 polling stations across the country. Some 3,500 local and 330 international observers are monitoring the vote. Results are expected on Monday.

Author: Holly Fox (AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Andreas Illmer