After the Parliament in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) dissolved on the 7th of April due to a political deadlock following a corruption scandal, lawmakers voted for early elections on the 5th of June. The corruption scandal involved former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski who resigned on the 15th of January 2016 after accusations of abuses of power by officials that had come to light through secret wiretap recordings. The situation worsened this week when President Gjorge Ivanov officially pardoned 56 officials including former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who were involved in the scandal which included the mismanagement of funds, dubious criminal prosecutions of opponents and even cover-ups of killings. President of the European Council Donald Tusk has warned Macedonia that it must adhere to 'the rule of law' and that the country's Euro-Atlantic future is at risk.

Additionally, the government had come under pressure over police clashes in May 2015 with ethnic Albanian minorities in the north that resulted in 22 casualties. Parliament speaker Trajko Veljanovski announced his believe in a fair democratic vote on the 5th of June while the opposition of the Social Democratic Union has already announced to boycott it due to fears of unfair campaigning and unfree elections as promised reforms in these areas had not yet been carried out.

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For more information on the corruption scandal and the protests that followed, click here.
For more information on the history and the political context of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, click here.