Troubled Macedonia braces for major opposition rally

Macedonia's opposition was set to lead a major rally on May 17 in the troubled Balkan country, as the conservative government grapples with a deep political crisis and an outbreak of violence.

The protests, set to start at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT), are the culmination of months of wrangling between conservative Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and his centre-left opponents, which has already sparked clashes on the streets of the capital Skopje.
 
The opposition vowed that Sunday's protest would be peaceful, although in the morning hours police brought large amount of anti-riot gear, while volunteers left bottles of water in front of the government building where thousands were expected to gather on the hot day.
 
"I am going to the protest, I want to be part of voices who demand and bring changes," said 56-year old architect Borce, who refused to give his last name.
 
The country's troubles deepened last weekend with a shootout in the northern town of Kumanovo between police and ethnic Albanian rebels that left 18 people dead, including eight police officers.
 
It marked the worst unrest in the former Yugoslav republic since its 2001 conflict between the government and ethnic Albanian rebels.
 
The opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), led by Zoran Zaev, is calling for the government to resign, accusing the ruling party of wiretapping 20,000 people, including politicians, journalists and religious leaders.
 
Zaev has released snippets of the alleged recordings that appear to show widespread government corruption, a murder cover-up and other wrongdoings.
 
His party has also boycotted parliament since an election in April last year, in which it claims Gruevski's VMRO-DPMNE party...