This paper is devoted to the snap parliamentary elections in Macedonia,
which took place on 27 April 2014. The main initiator of the early elections was the
DUI, which represents the interests of the Albanian minority and was the junior coalition
partner in the government led by Nikola Gruevski from the VMRO–DPMNE. The
DUI’s activists did not want to advocate the candidacy of the incumbent head of state,
Gjorge Ivanov, who was seeking re-election. After the elections the SDSM, the main
rival of the ruling VMRO-DPMNE, has not recognised the result and refused to take
up their parliamentary seats.