VMRO-DPMNE

With a midnight deadline approaching, 57 people - some charged and others already convicted - had asked for amnesty from the Skopje Criminal Court, the court's chief judge, Ivan Dzolev, told reporters.

All 95 MPs who were present at Tuesday's session in Macedonia's 120-seat parliament voted in favour of the controversial amnesty legislation.

The opposition VMRO DPMNE MPs joined the majority led by the Social Democrats in supporting the law, despite the fact that there amendment aimed at expanding the scope of the amnesty to all participants was rejected earlier in the day. 

His party, the opposition VMRO-DPMNE, says that he is not with them.

Gruevski did not respond to serving a two-year prison sentence, which is why the police are now searching for him.

Gruevski was sentenced to two years in prison for abusing official position to illegally acquire an armored Mercedes.

A former prime minister of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on Friday lost his final appeal against serving a two-year prison sentence over corruption-related charges.

A panel of judges at the Skopje criminal court said in a statement that they rejected Nikola Gruevski's appeal after "reviewing all the facts and evidence" in the case.

The criminal court of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), which is investigating allegations of unlawful political financing, has ordered a temporary freeze on the sale or lease of 69 properties owned by the main opposition VMRO-DPMNE, including its headquarters.

Several prominent opposition party officials and MPs resigned from their VMRO DPMNE party positions in the past few days, accusing the leadership of isolating the party and taking an anti-Western course which they do not want to follow.

The most recent to resign, on Wednesday, was the head of the party's youth union, Luka Krzaloski. 

While the government and the ruling majority has called for unity and forgiveness in Macedonia's politically-divided society, the opposition has called for an outright amnesty for the people who were involved in last year's storming of the parliament building.

The leader of the main opposition party in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) has urged the left-wing government to call early elections and to give up on a deal that would change the country's name in exchange for the chance to fulfill its NATO ambitions. 

With the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) seemingly heading for early elections, European Union Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said on Friday that resorting to early polls will only derail the country's EU course.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) appears to be heading for early elections in November as it seems unlikely the government will secure the two-thirds majority needed in Parliament to ratify the name deal with Greece.