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Macedonia PM Defiant

Macedonia PM Defiant
Macedonia PM Defiant

A day after a massive anti-government rally in the Macedonian capital, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski told his supporters that he has no plans of stepping down. Gruevski vowed on Monday, In front of around 30,000 of supporters, that he would not step down. “No retreat! No surrender! Macedonia is strong and Macedonia will win.

We will win!” said Gruevski, as the massive crowd chanted his name, DW reported. The pro-government rally came as tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Macedonian capital, Skopje, for a second day in a row, further fueling the already heated political standoff between the government and the opposition.

On Sunday, the opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) and various civic movements mobilized more than 50,000 people to demand the resignation of the conservative prime minister and his government. Gruevski is under huge pressure from the opposition and the international community after opposition leader Zoran Zaev released information claiming to link Gruevski and his government to widespread corruption, interference in the judiciary and the media and illegal wiretapping of 20,000 people, including police, judges, journalists and foreign diplomats.

But during Monday’s rally, Gruevski appeared defiant and strong-willed as he repeatedly accused Zaev of corruption and of being supported by “foreign intelligence services.” The European Parliament had invited both Gruevski and Zaev to Strasbourg, France on Tuesday for talks in an attempt to resolve the crisis.

Financialtribune.com