Albanian Parties Mull Quitting Macedonia's Govt

Experts say the possible resignation of ethnic Albanian ministers from Macedonia's provisional government would increase the "pressure" for the formation of a new government but would not necessarily resolve the current crisis.

They doubt it would have the power to force the President and the former ruling VMRO DPMNE party to end their blockade on the formation of a new government under the Social Democratic Party, SDSM.

The debate comes as Albania's main ethnic Albanian party, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, said it would soon take a decision on whether to pull out its two vice prime ministers and eight ministers from the provisional government.

But they admit this would not necessarily bring down the existing government, which is still effectively led by their former government partners, VMRO DPMNE.

DUI spokesperson Bujar Osmani said the party intended "to convey a political message through the resignation of the [DUI] ministers, in order to show ... that the DUI will do everything in its power to create new institutions and materialize its new alliance with the SDSM".

After the December 11 early elections, the DUI broke off its previous government alliance with VMRO DPMNE and joined sides with the new parliamentary majority led by the SDSM.

But the formation of new institutions and a new government has remained stuck ever since President Gjorge Ivanov on March 1 to refused to award the mandate to form a government to the SDSM leader Zoran Zaev, despite his majority in parliament.

Ivanov claimed Zaev's alleged acceptance of the so-called "Albanian Platform", a joint list of demands for greater rights from the Albanian parties, might destroy Macedonia.

Legally, the resignation of more...