Macedonia: Parliament debates impeaching president

SKOPJE, Macedonia – Macedonia’s parliament is debating an opposition request to open impeachment procedures against President Gjorge Ivanov following his controversial decision to pardon dozens of top politicians facing corruption charges, a move that triggered international condemnation and weeks of street protests.

Monday’s six-hour debate was inconclusive and was to continue Tuesday.

The impeachment request is supported by the junior partner in the governing conservative coalition, the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration. But the motion is unlikely to succeed as it needs support from an absolute majority of 82 of parliament’s 123 members, and the governing conservatives hold the majority with 62 seats.

Ivanov cancelled his pardons last week.

Macedonia has been rocked by allegations from the opposition that the government mounted a massive illegal wiretapping operation, allegations the government has denied.