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Since the end of the Second World War, Macedonia's population
has grown steadily, with the greatest increases occurring in the
ethnic Albanian community. From 1953 through the time of the
latest census in 2002 (initial results were released December
2003), the percentage of Albanians living in Macedonia rose
31.3%. The western part of the country, where most ethnic
Albanians live, is the most heavily populated, with
approximately 40% of the total population. The net influx in the
past 30 years has been close to 100,000 Albanians.
In the late 1980s when the autonomy of the province of Kosovo
was revoked, and the repression of the Albanian population
significantly increased, these developments also took place in
the Socialist Republic of Macedonia. The Albanian language was
removed from public sight, Albanian families were prohibited
from naming their children with Albanian names on the ground
that it caused divisions with the other communities in the
republic, and finally, to lower the significantly high birth
rate of the Albanian population, Albanian families were
prohibited from having more than two children (Milosavlevski and
Tomovski, 1997:205, and Politika ekspres 10-6-1986). This
assimilative campaign can be clearly seen by the fact that in
1990 the amended Constitution redefined the state from "a state
of the Macedonian people and the Albanian and Turkish
nationalities" to a "national state of the Macedonian people"
In January 1992, some Albanians organized a referendum on
territorial autonomy. The Macedonian government claimed this was
an attempt to secede and began a crackdown by declaring the
referendum illegal. The Council of Albanian Political Parties in
the Former Yugoslavia, an organization that represents ethnic
Albanians in Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia proper and the Republic
of Macedonia, promptly decided that autonomy would only be a
possibility for Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia if other
democratic efforts failed to procure political and cultural
rights.
Ethnic minority grievances, which had erupted on occasion (1995
and 1997), rapidly began to gain political currency in late
2000, leading many in the ethnic Albanian community in Macedonia
to question their minority protection under, and participation
in, the government. Tensions erupted into open hostilities in
Macedonia in February 2001, when a group of ethnic Albanians
near the Kosovo border carried out armed provocations that soon
escalated into an insurgency. Purporting to fight for greater
civil rights for ethnic Albanians in Macedonia, the group seized
territory and launched attacks against government forces. Many
observers ascribed other motives to the so-called National
Liberation Army (NLA), including support for criminality and the
assertion of political control over affected areas. The
insurgency spread through northern and western Macedonia during
the first half of 2001. Under international mediation, a
cease-fire was brokered in July 2001, and the government
coalition was expanded in July 2001 to include the major
opposition parties.
The expanded coalition of ruling ethnic Macedonian and ethnic
Albanian political leaders, with facilitation by U.S. and
European Union (EU) diplomats, negotiated and then signed the
Ohrid Framework Agreement in August 2001, which brought an end
to the fighting. The agreement called for implementation of
constitutional and legislative changes, which lay the foundation
for improved civil rights for minority groups. The Macedonian
parliament adopted the constitutional changes outlined in the
accord in November 2001. The grand coalition disbanded following
the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement and the passage of
new constitutional amendments. A coalition led by Prime Minister
Georgievski, including DPA and several smaller parties, finished
out the parliamentary term.
In September 2002 elections, an SDSM-led pre-election coalition
won half of the 120 seats in parliament. Branko Crvenkovski was
elected Prime Minister in coalition with the ethnic Albanian
Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) party and the
Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP).
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