Democratic Union for Integration

The opposition Social Democrats presented covertly-recorded tapes on Monday that they said proved that PM Nikola Gruevski personally agreed an amnesty in the four war-crimes cases related to alleged atrocities committed by ethnic Albanians.

Macedonia's Prime Minister, Interior Minister and secret police chief have been routinely fixing which judges get appointed and promoted - or not - in Macedonian courts, the head of the Social Democratic Party, SDSM, Zoran Zaev, said on Tuesday.

The Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, which is part of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's ruling coalition, said on Monday that its leader had not discussed with the Macedonian premier the possibility of its rival, the opposition Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, joining the government which is currently under fire over mass wiretapping allegations.

Top politicians, opposition leaders, NGO activists, journalists, businessmen, top academics, religious leaders and members of the judiciary have been subjected to widespread surveillance ordered by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and secret police chief Saso Mijalkov, the opposition Social Democratic Party, SDSM, claimed on Monday.

Macedonia's main opposition Social Democratic Party, SDSM, has come out against the country's proposed new coat of arms, saying the plan is being pushed as a distraction from the real problems.

"This is a typical example of how the government tries to shift public attention from the many affairs and scandals that they have to answer for," SDSM spokesperson Petre Shilegov said.

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 Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, the junior party in the ruling coalition, said that the FBI's involvement in a possible renewed investigation would instill much-needed public trust in the ethnically-charged case which sparked mass protests after the six Albanians were jailed for life for the murder of five ethnic Macedonians.

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The Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, has threatened to leave Macedonia's parliament in protest after one of its MPs, Orhan Ibrahimi, exchanged punches with Rexhail Ismaili, an MP from the junior ruling party, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI.

Several other legislators then joined in the brawl.

Macedonia's ruling parties have gained the approval they need to enact changes to the constitution after 82 of the 123 MPs approved the changes, which is more than the two-thirds majority needed.

Six legislators from the opposition Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, voted against while one legislator abstained.

The Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, said it will file amendments to the proposed constitutional changes in a bid to ensure greater use of the Albanian language and national symbols in the country.

The DPA said it would make its case at the start of the parliamentary session on government’s constitutional changes on Tuesday.