Updated

The European Union's enlargement commissioner says Macedonia's four political leaders have agreed to hold early elections by the end of April 2016 to resolve a deep political crisis.

Johannes Hahn spoke Tuesday after talks with Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, leftist opposition head Zoran Zaev and two ethnic Albanian party leaders. The last elections were held in April last year, when Gruevski won a third four-year term. The elections will be held two years ahead of time.

The crisis in Macedonia, one of the worst since it gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, stems from a massive wiretap scandal that purportedly reveals corruption at the highest levels of government. The situation was exacerbated by a shootout between police and ethnic Albanian gunmen last month that left 18 dead.