SDSM

At least two opposition MPs in Macedonia say they may return to parliament, defying the opposition’s decision to collectively resign following the April elections, which they deem fraudulent.

Solza Grceva, from the main opposition Socal Democratic Party, SDSM, has until Thursday - when parliament will verify the resignations of the opposition MPs - to decide whether to return.

Macedonian leaders are contemplating holding new elections for seats vacated by the opposition in parliament.

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski who is holding talks on forming a new government, on Tuesday said that after the opposition MPs resigned, parliament "has no choice but to verify those resignations at the next session and call fresh elections for the vacant seats".

In an interview for state run MIA news Agency, Nikola Gruevski for the first time has denied involvement in a bank sale that the opposition revealed in late April.

“I have never taken a million-and-a-half euros in cash, nor have I in any other way  taken any other sum for the sale of Makedonska Banka. All the other accusations that come out of this are also untrue,” Gruevski said.

The opposition led by the Social Democratic Party, SDSM, whose MPs submitted written resignations to parliament last week after alleging fraud at April's elections, is seriously considering setting up a ‘shadow government’, a high-ranking party source told Balkan Insight on Monday.

The 33 MPs from the opposition Social Democratic Party, SDSM, the Liberal Democrats, LDP, and the New Social Democrats, NSDP, have submitted formal resignations to the speaker of parliament.

They dispute the legitimacy of the April general and presidential elections and attribute the victory of Nikola Gruevski's VMRO DPMNE party to fraud.

After the former leader of Macedonian Social Democrats, SDSM, Branko Crvenkovski, urged Pendarovski to assume the party leadership from Zoran Zaev, the former presidential runner said he wished to distance himself from tensions inside the party ahead of its post-election congress on Saturday.

In his first interview since standing down as SDSM leader a year ago, Branko Crvenkovski said the opposition’s presidential candidate in the April elections should now lead the party out of its current travails.

Pendarovski, who was once a political advisor to Crvenkovski when he was head of state from 2004 to 2009, briefly told NOVA TV he had “no comment”.

Newly elected opposition legislators did not appear on Wednesday at the State Electoral Commission, SEC, to receive their certificates to sit in the 123-member parliament.

After the executive board of the Social Democatic Party, SDSM, on Thursday unanimously supported the decision not to take up any seats in parliament, the party’s central committee is due officially to confirm the move on Thursday evening.

Macedonia's Social Democratic Party, SDSM, is to take a decision on Tuesday on what to do next following its defeat in Sunday's elections.

One option up for consideration is for the party to refuse to take up its seats in parliament.