Yearbook 2002

Northern Macedonia (until 2019 Macedonia). According to Countryaah website, national day of North Macedonia is every September 8. The shaky reconciliation process following last year’s battles went on and was confirmed in a parliamentary election in September. The election could be carried out without any major problems, although it was preceded by a number of incidents including. gunfire. The result was a severe setback for the reigning Macedonian nationalists in VMRO-DPMNE. Opposition Alliance Together for Macedonia, led by Macedonia’s Social Democratic Alliance SDSM, received half of the 120 seats.

The alliance formed government with the largest ethnic Albanian party Democratic Union for Integration, BDI, which had emerged during the summer with former guerrilla leader Ali Ahmeti as leader. The nationalists were horrified; they complained about electoral fraud and claimed that SDSM formed government with “terrorists”. NATO and the EU, however, felt that the election was right. Albanian government participation was also seen as a prerequisite for stability.

SDSM leader Branko Crvenkovski became prime minister, a post he also held in 1992-98. He is a former communist who, unlike his predecessor Ljubco Georgievski, is a strong supporter of the so-called Ohrid agreement of 2001. This set the stage for the fighting and laid the foundation for a series of reforms that will strengthen the rights of the Albanian minority.

Climate

The climate of Macedonia lies in the transition area between the Mediterranean and the continental climate. In the mountainous interior it is relatively rough. Generally in winter mostly very rainy and cold, in summer, on the other hand, very little rain and warm. The seasons autumn and spring are weak, i.e. the summer and winter are relatively long.