VZCZCXRO2115
RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSQ #0649/01 1881358
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 071358Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4902
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHSQ/USDAO SKOPJE MK
RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA 4107
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000649 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/SCE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/08/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: PRESIDENT'S ANALYSIS OF PARLIAMENTARY 
ELECTION OUTCOME 
 
REF: SKOPJE 640 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: P/E CHIEF SHUBLER, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). 
 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶1. (C) In a meeting with the Ambassador July 6, President 
Crvenkovski characterized the recent parliamentary election 
process as "good," and asked for continued support from the 
Ambassador during the process of the formation of the new 
government.  Analyzing electoral results, Crvenkovski said 
citizens desiring a change in Macedonia had bet on the party 
with the best chances of winning -- VMRO-DPMNE.  The victory 
of eAlbanian DUI over rival DPA signaled the desire of the 
eAlbanian electorate to opt for a future as citizens of 
Macedonians, an encouraging outcome.  Crvenkovski said it 
would be important to include an eAlbanian party in the next 
government, preferably DUI, to demonstrate respect for the 
will of the eAlbanian electorate.  It also would be important 
to exclude the nationalist VMRO-Narodna party, since their 
participation would undermine the next government's reform 
program and efforts to combat organized crime and corruption. 
 
 
¶2. (C) Crvenkovski appeared to be probing our thinking on 
which coalition combinations might meet with USG approval. 
Our position is that we can support and work with any 
coalition that is the result of procedures outlined in the 
constitution and parliamentary rule book, but that any future 
government should exclude as cabinet ministers or other 
ranking representatives anyone who came to power through 
intimidation or electoral malfeasance. 
 
GOOD ELECTORAL PROCESS OVERALL 
 
¶3. (U) The Ambassador met with President Crvenkovski, at the 
latter's request, July 6 to discuss next steps after the July 
5 parliamentary elections.  Crvenkovski's Chief of Staff 
Natasa Savova attended.  DCM and P/E Chief (notetaker) 
accompanied the Ambassador. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Crvenkovski said that, barring a handful of 
incidents during the campaign, the electoral process overall 
had been good.  There had been some small irregularities, 
Crvenkovski said, but he was generally satisfied with 
developments on July 5.  Especially noteworthy, he added, was 
the "lack of turbulence" following the closing of the polls 
at 7 pm, and the acceptance by most parties of the outcome as 
the product of a free and fair process. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Crvenkovski added that the telephone call from Prime 
Minister Buckovski to VMRO-DPMNE leader Gruevski 
congratulating the latter on his electoral victory, and the 
lack of triumphalism evident in Gruevski's modest victory 
celebration that evening, also were positive developments 
(reftel).  He said he hoped the same atmosphere would prevail 
during the negotiations on a coalition to succeed the present 
government.  The President asked the Ambassador for her 
continued support and good offices to help ensure that 
process continued in a constructive fashion. 
 
IMPORTANCE OF OSCE/ODIHR, BRUSSELS, AND WASHINGTON ASSESSMENTS 
 
¶6. (C) Crvenkovski said the OSCE/ODIHR assessment of the 
conduct of the elections would be important, but noted that 
evaluations in Brussels and Washington would be of even 
greater import for Macedonia's EU and NATO membership 
aspirations.  A negative assessment would, he said, be a 
great disappointment to the citizens of Macedonia, who 
believed the elections had been conducted in a calm, positive 
manner. (NOTE: ODIHR's preliminary assessment, released the 
afternoon of July 6, characterized the elections as having 
"largely met international standards." Both the USG and EU 
statements on the elections, also released July 6, described 
them as successful and a victory for the citizens of 
Macedonia.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶7. (SBU) The Ambassador noted USG satisfaction with the 
conduct of the lectoral process. Compared to past elections, 
there had been far fewer allegations of violence and 
attempted intimidation.  The police had been effective in 
serving as a deterrent at polling stations, but without 
 
SKOPJE 00000649  002 OF 002 
 
 
interfering in the electoral process.  The political parties 
had, for the most part, behaved maturely.  Overall, the US 
Embassy shared the international community's (IC) positive 
evaluation of the elections and would, in its assessment, 
situate the isolated problems or incidents in the overall 
context of a mainly positive election day. 
 
CRVENKOVSKI'S ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS: RATIONAL VOTING 
 
¶8. (C) Pointing to opposition VMRO-DPMNE's clear victory 
(reftel), Crvenkovski said the results demonstrated the 
"average Macedonian's rationality."  Citizens who wanted a 
change in government had voted for the party most likely to 
win.  That was why many smaller parties that had competed had 
failed to enter the parliament, a development Crvenkovski 
welcomed. 
 
¶9. (C) Even more significant than VMRO-DPMNE's victory over 
the SDSM (Crvenkovski's party), however, was the significant 
DUI win (18 seats) vis-a-vis DPA (11 seats).  The outcome had 
been somewhat less than DUI leader Ahmeti had anticipated, 
according to Crvenkovski, but it nevertheless constituted a 
convincing victory.  The Ambassador commented that the 
significant DUI margin over DPA also represented an eAlbanian 
vote in favor of a future as citizens of Macedonia, as 
opposed to the more separatist vision of DPA. 
 
BUILDING THE NEXT GOVERNMENT -- NEED TO INCLUDE ETHNIC 
ALBANIAN PARTY... 
 
¶10. (C) Noting that this was VMRO-DPMNE leader Gruevski's 
first experience with forming a coalition government, 
Crvenkovski said he hoped the next government would include 
an eAlbanian party.  He believed Gruevski should offer a 
place in the coalition to DUI, since that would demonstrate 
respect for the will of the eAlbanian citizens of Macedonia 
who had voted in far larger numbers for DUI than for DPA. 
Courting DPA, on the other hand, would signal a rejection of 
the popular will of eAlbanians here.  Adding that there was 
no obligation to include DUI, or indeed any eAlbanian party, 
in a coalition, he said failure to do so would be a "mistake 
politically." 
 
...AND EXCLUDE NATIONALIST VMRO-NARODNA PARTY HEADED BY 
FORMER PRIME MINISTER 
 
¶11. (C) If Gruevski needed a third party to comprise a 
coalition (VMRO-DPMNE and DUI together would give the 
government 62 seats, enough to form a government, but by a 
margin of only two seats in the 120-seat unicameral 
parliament), Crvenkovski said he hoped Gruevski would not/not 
invite VMRO-Narodna (a nationalist VMRO breakaway party 
headed by former PM Georgievski) to join.  Georgievski's 
campaign had been characterized by an anti-reform stance, 
including opposition to the Framework Agreement, Kosovo 
independence, and the IMF and World Bank.  As a minor party, 
VMRO-Narodna could not, on its own, shift GOM policy on those 
issues, but it could work to undermine it.  Including 
Georgievski also would undercut future GOM efforts to combat 
organized crime and corruption, he said.  The President 
concluded by saying that the process of building a new 
government likely would produce a "long, hot summer." 
 
COMMENT 
 
¶12. (C) Crvenkovski appeared indirectly to be sounding us out 
on possible coalition arrangements, the subject of intensive 
media speculation since the results of the elections were 
announced July 6.  He obviously favors a VMRO-DPMNE/DUI 
coalition, perhaps with minority support from NSDP (SDSM 
breakaway party) and its seven seats or another smaller 
party.  Although such a coalition combination would make 
political sense, the position we are taking regarding likely 
coalition outcomes is that we can support any coalition that 
is the result of the procedures outlined in the constitution 
and the parliamentary rule book, but that any government 
should exclude ministers or other ranking officials who came 
to power through intimidation or malfeasance.  End Comment. 
MILOVANOVIC