Skopje

SKOPJE, MACEDONIA —
Polls opened Sunday in Macedonia for a general election called two years early as part of a Western-brokered agreement to end a paralyzing political crisis.

As the election campaign in Macedonia draws to its end on Friday at midnight, ahead of  Sunday's vote, some of the politician's statements about the countr and its crisis stick out more than others.

1. Confiscation, not federalization:

An opinion poll published on Monday suggested that the gap between the main ruling VMRO DPMNE and the opposition Social Democrats, SDSM has significantly narrowed while the number of undecided voters who could determine the outcome of the December 11 election is still high.

Kurz, who was accused of supporting authoritarianism after appearing at an election rally for Macedonia's embattled ruling VMRO DPMNE party on Sunday, stated that he "attended the rally in my capacity as member of the European People's Party."

The European People's Party is a centre-right transnational coalition made up of other political parties.

With domestic media outlets coming under increased monitoring for the approaching general elections, Macedonia's ruling parties are resorting to new tactics for the campaign, including opening "news" sites registered in neighbouring countries that spread demonstrably false or completely unproven information.

US documentary maker Rick Ray claims his film equipment was stolen on the Macedonian border, and that customs officers detained him and sent him to trial in Skopje where he had to pay a fine, all on the false premise that he had not declared his equipment.

Macedonia's election campaign formally started on Monday and over the next 20 days the parties will be holding rallies and round tables and trying to visit as many places as they can.

Macedonia's Special Prosecution, SJO, said it suspected ten persons from the Security and Counterintelligence Directorate, UBK, illegally surveyed at least 5,827 telephone numbers from 2008 to 2015 - as part of a fresh investigation codenamed "Target," launched on Friday.

An earthquake with 4.3 magnitude on the Richter scale was registered in Greece and felt in Macedonia and in the region of Southwest Bulgaria, according to correspondent of BGNES.

The earthquake was felt around 10.15 local time (EET) with epicenter 5 km west of Kristoni, Greece, 26 km south of Star Dojran in Macedonia and 162 km southeast of Skopje, at a depth of 10 km.

Outgoing US President Barack Obama arrived at the Presidential Mansion in central Athens on Tuesday, where he was welcomed by his Greek counterpart Prokopis Pavlopoulos as a leader who has earned global distinction for "defending humanity, democracy and justice."