French ruling Socialist Party reacted to the latest developments in Macedonia. Philip Cordery, responsible for European affairs, said that the Socialist Party strongly condemns the methods and cruelty of power against any kind of opposition.
– The Socialist Party expresses strong concerns about rising political tensions in Macedonia, caused by the autocratic rule of the conservative VMRO-DPMNE. We call upon the EU and the Council of Europe to use this new scandal to allow establishing an independent commission to illuminate these latest charges against opposition. We also expect the European People’s Party (EPP), where the ruling Macedonian party is a member, to return this party to the road of democratic sanity – said Jean-Marc Germain, in charge of international affairs.
Reaction also came from the parliamentary group of the Social Democrats of the European Parliament. They say that they closely follow the events in Skopje and remain concerned about excessive political influence on certain trials and selective justice in the country.
– Therefore, we call on independent and transparent investigation of the charges, taking into account the suggestions for strengthening the rule of law. We also heard contradictory statements by Prime Minister and the Ministry of Interior. One says that the defendant has already been charged and the other says prosecutors are still considering whether to do so. No media controlled by the government has transmitted the press conference of Mr. Zaev, who responded to the accusations, so we also urge the government to provide an objective and transparent media coverage of the accused during the investigation – said the parliamentary group of the European Social Parliament.
– This is the minimum in order for them to be able to defend themselves in public – said Richard Howitt and Knut Flekenstein, vice president of the group of the Social Democrats in the European Parliament.
The Party of European Socialists and Social Democrats, where SDSM is a member, reacted with a separate statement. They expressed concern about the allegations against the Macedonian opposition leader Zoran Zaev.
In the statement, Sergei Stanishev, head of European Socialists, reminiscent of all of the criticism that the European Union has made to address the Macedonian government, such as selective justice and the growing politicization.
– In a healthy democratic climate, the opposition should be able to perform the work in complete freedom and without restrictions. Social Democratic Union of Macedonia refused to participate in the Assembly after the elections because they cannot work freely in conditions that increasingly resemble authoritarianism – he reminded, referring to respect the rule of law and judicial independence.
