EU calls for regime change in Macedonia while current PM determined to stay

© AP Photo/ Visar Kryeziu

Western media claims that Nikola Gruevski, the current Prime Minister of Macedonia, created the crisis that puts his government at risk, reported.

Recently, Gruevski was accused of mass illegal surveillance, election fraud, as well as abuse of the country's justice system and media.

Now the European Commission wants to send the government in Skopje a list of tough rule-of-law reforms. If Gruevski doesn't react and there is no action taken by his government, the Commission will stop backing Macedonia's EU entry talks, said.

Macedonia has been a candidate country for EU accession since 2005. However, negotiations haven't made any significant progress and there are many obstacles that stand in the way.

Gruevski and Zoran Zaev, the Macedonian opposition leader, agreed to hold early parliamentary elections in April 2016. However, the two politicians can't agree when Gruevski must step down.

Zaev wants Gruevski to step down in October so that a technocratic government can prepare fair elections. According to Zaev, if Gruevski doesn't step down, he will rig the new elections in 2016, said.

Gruevski, on the other hand, said the majority of Macedonians support his government and if the elections were held today, his party would win them easily.

Macedonia has been mired in political crisis since the elections in April 2014. The opposition blames the government of current Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski for the country's social and economic problems, aggravated by corruption.

In May, opposition groups staged mass anti-government protests in the Macedonian capital of Skopje that drew thousands of demonstrators.