SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) - Several thousand supporters of Macedonia’s conservative opposition have marched through the capital Skopje to protest a proposed agreement with Greece to change the country’s name to North Macedonia.
The conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, which governed between 2006 and 2016, renewed a demand Wednesday for an early election, arguing that the 18-month-old Social Democrat government was unable to deal with crises facing the country.
The protesters gathered outside the conservative party headquarters and marched past government buildings, chanting “Macedonia, Macedonia” and waving nationalist banners.
VMRO-DPMNe party leader Hristijan Mickoski addressed the rally, which ended peacefully.
Resolving the decades-old name dispute with Greece would clear obstacles for Macedonia to join NATO.
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