Campaigning officially begins in Macedonia

12/05/2008

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- Campaigning officially kicked off on Sunday (May 11th), 20 days ahead of June 1st snap parliamentary elections. The campaign began with rallies by the main political rivals -- the ruling VMRO-DPMNE and its 19-party coalition "For a Better Macedonia" and the Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia (SDSM), together with its seven partners from the "Sun -- Coalition for Europe". The VMRO-DPMNE held its first rally in Ohrid, while SDSM supporters gathered in Stip, eastern Macedonia. The latest polls from the Rating agency suggest the "For a Better Macedonia" coalition leads with 37%, followed by the "Sun" coalition with 18%. The Democratic Union for Integration is third with 11%, followed by the Democratic Party of Albanians with 6%. (Makfax, Dnevnik - 11/05/08)