The upcoming elections ensure the legal entry of Kurti's people into the Macedonian Parliament

Written for Kosovo online by Zeljko Sajn, Politika correspondent from Skopje

The political scene in North Macedonia is focused on the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. The first round of presidential elections will be held on April 28, and the second, together with parliamentary elections, on May 8. Therefore, democracy gains momentum within the framework of legislative norms and the struggle for power begins in regular elections.

On the one hand, the current Macedonian-Albanian coalition of two parliamentary parties - the Macedonian left SDSM and the largest Albanian party DUI - will try to ensure survival in power. However, judging by the polls, this will most likely be prevented by the largest right-wing opposition party in North Macedonia - VMRO-DPMNE. However, it is still uncertain with who VMRO-DPMNE will enter into a coalition to form the government, if the data provided by the polls prove to be correct, because they will win a large number of votes in the parliament, but not enough to form an absolute government.

Just as among the Macedonian parties there is a confrontation between two currents - leftist and rightist orientation, something similar is happening in the ranks of the Albanian parties. Namely, there was a split in the DUI party itself, the largest and most dominant Albanian party in power, but also several smaller Albanian parties formed an Albanian opposition block and attacked the government. What will make these elections different from all presidential and parliamentary elections is that the Albanian political structure is visibly divided, and not only when it comes to the creation of a political perspective on the internal plan of North Macedonia, but alao when it comes to the path of Euro-Atlantic integration of this state, which separated from the federal system of socialist Yugoslavia. In order to achieve Euro-Atlantic perspectives, the country changed its Constitution and name, and now the big question arises as to what lies ahead if the Albanian opposition gains political power in North Macedonia.
Within these events, one name is indispensable - Albin Kurti, the prime minister of the so-called Republic of Kosovo, whose aspirations towards the realization of Demaqi’s dream of forming a greater Albania are increasingly worrying. Let's also remind that Adem Demaqi won a street in Skopje by replacing partisan heroes, and just one day later, Albin Kurti was declared the president of all Albanians in Tetovo by the Albanian opposition, while the map of Demaqi’s Great Albania was fluttering in the background.

However, although these events have an obvious fascist and Nazi tone, neither the USA nor the EU reacted, which gave Kurti the wind behind him to continue expanding his influence on this country as well. Recently, Kurti hosted all the Albanian opposition members from North Macedonia in Pristina, where it was agreed that Dr. Arben Taravari should be nominated as the presidential candidate. His election caused a rift in the Albanian Alliance, which is in coalition with the government, and this Albanian party was also divided.

Namely, Taravari was appointed to the position of president of the Albanian Alliance by Zeljadin Sela, the former leader of this party, and now the president of the Assembly. The schism in the Albanian Alliance led to the holding of two congresses, where, on the one hand, Taravari's supporters nominated him as the presidential candidate, while the second congress of the same party dismissed Taravari from the position of president of the Albanian Alliance and appointed Sela as the new leader of the party. However, the resolution of this party problem will most likely be decided by the legislature. Until this is resolved, Kurti will gradually refine his program with the leaders of the opposition Albanian parties, with whom he will build his strategy for controlling the state of North Macedonia.

The Albanian opposition programmatically opposes Ali Ahmeti, the president of the DUI party, whom Taravari has repeatedly invited to a public political duel, so that he no longer hides and runs for president of North Macedonia in front of the DUI party. In this conflict, the division between Albin Kurti and Edi Rama, the Albanian Prime Minister, is becoming increasingly clear. But Ahmeti, supporting Rama, openly opposes Kurti's views.

Although Talat Xhaferi was elected as the prime minister of North Macedonia, which is a big step for Albanians on the political scene in North Macedonia, Ahmeti emphasized in a television show on RTK that it is not yet time for an Albanian to run for president. However, the Albanian opposition believes that this is the moment to run for president of Albanian nationality, and that there are real chances that, after the elections, an Albanian president will be at the head of North Macedonia.

All these developments on the political scene of North Macedonia, especially in the circles of Albanian parties, are threatening for the DUI party. Namely, the Albanian opposition won a large number of votes, which can seriously threaten the ruling structure, and open the door wide to the opposition in the parliament. Therefore, it is expected that Ali Ahmeti, as the leader of the DUI party, will propose a presidential candidate from within his party, and it is not excluded that he will be the candidate as well.

It is possible, in theory, for VMRO-DPMNE to form a government with the Albanian opposition, which would also open the door for Kurti to govern North Macedonia as well. However, it is hinted that "Kale" will decide on everything. It is about the US embassy in Skopje, which is located near the Ottoman fortress built in Suleiman's time.

Macedonian politicians are doing exactly what the USA and the EU have criticized - they are silent. It seems that the experience with Kosovo and Metohija was not instructive enough, and they believe that such a scenario can never happen in North Macedonia, forgetting that it was there, in Tetovo, that Kurti was declared the president of all Albanians, with a map of greater Albania, which clearly shows the pretensions to Macedonian territory. Let's not forget that this is also how Adem Demaqi started. The West protected him with the explanation that there was a dictatorship in SFR Yugoslavia, and when the moment came, after the bombing of Yugoslavia by NATO, Kosovo was declared independent. But the Macedonians, it seems, rely on the fact that they are part of the North Atlantic Alliance, losing sight of the fact that it was NATO that gave strength to Walker's provocations for the recognition of Kosovo. In addition to all that, it should not be forgotten that Bulgaria stepped into North Macedonia with its fascist boots and opened Bulgarian clubs there that bear the names of proven Hitler collaborators.

Who will the people trust to lead them to a brighter, European future - we'll see. However, what these elections will definitely bring is the legal entry of Kurti's people into the Macedonian Assembly.