Eurasia Press & News
Macedonia’s independent presidential candidate Ljube Boskoski claims that his supporters have received threats from the ruling conservative party VMRO DPMNE.
Boskoski’s spokesperson Vesna Tasevska said on Monday that the candidate’s supporters who are employed in the public administration “receive threats for their jobs and even direct threats against their physical safety (if they vote for Boskoski)”.
Tasevska claims that VMRO leaders fear that Boskoski,who has been a long standing member of the ruling party, will attract many traditional party voters. The election camp says it has this evidence and has already submitted it to the police.
Boskoski, a former Macedonia interior minister who was acquitted for war crimes by the Hague last year, decided to run as independent after his party decided to launch Georgi Ivanov as its candidate instead.
He now claims that he is the only legitimate party candidate and that many party members support him, but are too scared to openly express that. His camp does not believe the recent opinion polls placing Ivanov as the undisputed front runner on the election.
VMRO claims its supporters are not running to Boskoski’s camp, but has so far not commented on his accusations.
On March 22 Macedonians will elect a new head of state, as well as 83 municipality mayors. These polls will be a test for the country’s democratic maturity as last June’s general election was partially marred with violence and fraud.
