Macedonia Scraps Old 'Soviet' Coat of Arms

Macedonia is introducing a new coat of arms, a rampant red lion on a yellow shield topped with a crown, replacing the current symbols forged in the Communist era.

"The current coat of arms is designed to match that of the USSR. The obligatory elements, like the sun, red star, the stalks of wheat tied with a ribbon... all symbolize the brighter Communist society," the government noted in a press release.

Before declaring independence in the early 1990s, Macedonia formed part of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia.

The government, led by the centre-right VMRO DPMNE party of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, last week surprised many when it announced its decision to change the coat of arms.

The ethnic Albanian junior ruling party, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, said it supported the change, as depictions of lions "can be found in many big, prominent Albanian families".

The new emblem awaits adoption by parliament. It needs the support of at least 82 of the 123 members of parliament, which the ruling parties theoretically control.

Macedonia's current emblem is a revised version of one adopted on July 27, 1946, by the People's Republic of Macedonia, which was part of the old Socialist Yugoslavia.

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