In the July 2006 parliamentary elections, a majority of ethnic Macedonians voted for the
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO-DPMNE, right-wing) in the hope
that Macedonia would end a difficult chapter of its history - the post-conflict period. Since an
Albanian armed insurgency erupted in February 2001, the political agenda had indeed been
virtually dominated by interethnic issues. In 2001, early international involvement had
prevented the armed confrontation from turning into a full scale civil war2
. But the Ohrid
Framework agreement (FA) that successfully put an end to violence on August 13, 2001,
entailed major constitutional and institutional changes designed to redress what was
perceived as imbalances between the ethnic Macedonian majority and the Albanian
community. For five years, under close international supervision (the EU Office for the
implementation of the Ohrid Agreement, the United States, NATO, the OSCE...),
Macedonia’s ruling elites were thus compelled to devote most of their energy to minority
rights and interethnic relations. In 2006 VMRO-DPMNE leader, Nikola Gruevski, built his
political success on a discourse that aptly combined promises to make Macedonia a
prosperous country and to boost ethnic Macedonian self-confidence. After years when
members of the ethnic majority felt they were the major losers in the FA process, the VMRODPMNE’s
emphasis on national pride was perceived as most welcome.