SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Macedonia's opposition leader has urged a snap election after the country failed at a NATO summit in its second bid to join the alliance.
Branko Crvenkovski addressed a rally of several thousand left-wing opposition supporters Sunday in the central Macedonian town of Stip. They say the government’s policies are failing to secure economic growth and Macedonia’s participation in NATO and the European Union.
Greece has blocked Macedonian efforts to join NATO since 2008. The alliance reiterated at the NATO summit in Lisbon that Macedonia will be invited to join after resolving its 20-year dispute with Greece over the country’s name.
The next election is due to take place in 2012.
