EU, US suggest postponing Macedonia election

SKOPJE, Macedonia – European Union and U.S. diplomats have suggested that Macedonia postpone national elections scheduled for April 24.

A joint EU-U.S. statement was submitted to caretaker prime minister Emil Dimitriev and read to the press on Sunday by U.S. Ambassador Jess L. Baily.

The statement says that "at this stage the necessary conditions for organizing credible elections on 24 April are currently not in place."

Baily noted that an agreement on media reforms has not yet been reached and expressed concerns over "initial reports of pressure and intimidation of voters and others".

Elections are being held early in the wake of a wire-tapping scandal implicating the conservative government.

Last month, Macedonian lawmakers approved Dimitriev as caretaker premier in a Western-brokered deal. Parliament is due to be dissolved on Feb. 24, midway through its four-year term.