West Praises Macedonian Elections

European Union, NATO and United States’ top officials are praising the recent peaceful and democratically run Macedonian elections.

The presidential and municipal poll on Sunday, which cemented the power of the ruling conservative VMRO DPMNE party was seen as a test of the country’s democratic credentials. The vote was closely monitored by the European Union and the West, after last June’s general election was marred by violence and fraud in the ethnic Albanian areas of the country.

The US Department of State Tuesday extended congratulations and praise to Macedonia for the successful completion of the joint presidential and local poll.

“We eagerly await to cooperate with newly-elected president Georgi Ivanov, in order to help Macedonia achieve full Euro-Atlantic integration as soon as possible”, State Department Spokesman Andy Laine told Voice of America, Macedonian Language.

NATO Chief Jaap De Hoop Scheffer also praised the election welcoming the President-Elect Georgi Ivanov’s announcement that he will make priority the resolution of the long running ‘name dispute’ with Greece, that has become the sole obstacle for the country’s entry into NATO, amid Greek blockade.

“I am pleased that the incoming president, Mr. Ivanov, has announced that he will make the resolution of the name issue his first task,” Scheffer said in a statement. He reiterated NATO’s position that Macedonia will be invited as soon as this dispute over Macedonia’s formal name is settled.

The EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn sent his congratulations Monday. In a statement he reminded that “important work remains in order to deliver results on judicial reform, the fight against corruption and reform of the civil service” all prerequisites for EU inclusion.

If the country completes these reforms, it can now hope for a swift removal of the EU visa regime for traveling Macedonian citizens, as well as a set date for the start of its EU accession, which could be as soon as this autumn.

Macedonia has been an EU candidate state since 2005, although the EC last year stated that Skopje was still not ready for the start of accession talks, largely due to the violence and fraud allegations that marred the 2008 general elections.