Tens of thousands of Macedonians protest in the capital, demanding government's resignation

Protesters holding a Macedonian flags and banners reading "Resignation" and "Goodbye Nikola" protest against Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski as they march towards the offices of Macedonia's conservative government, in capital Skopje on Sunday, May 17, 2015. Some thousands of people are gathered in the centre of Skopje to demand the resignation of Gruevski, amid a series of alleged scandals including corruption, wiretapping and cover ups, but Gruevski rejects the accusations. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu) (The Associated Press)

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A woman holds Macedonian flag during a protest in front of the Government building in Skopje, Macedonia, on Sunday, May 17, 2015. Macedonian opposition started massive demonstrations Sunday in Skopje protesting against the conservative government of the Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, demanding its resignation. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) (The Associated Press)

A poster of the leader of the opposition socialdemocrats, Zoran Zaev is seen right during a protest in front of the Government building in Skopje, Macedonia, on Sunday, May 17, 2015. Macedonian opposition started massive demonstrations Sunday in Skopje protesting against the conservative government of the Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, demanding its resignation. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) (The Associated Press)

Tens of thousands of people have gathered in the center of the Macedonian capital Skopje to demand the resignation of conservative Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

The Sunday protest follows the release of a massive cache of wiretapped conversations by the head of the opposition Social Democrats, Zoran Zaev. He claims that Gruevski was behind the mass wiretapping of more than 20,000 Macedonians.

The conversations purport to reveal corruption at the highest levels of government, including mismanagement of funds, spurious criminal prosecutions of opponents and even attempted cover-ups of killings.

Zaev said those conversations were leaked to him by "patriots" in the domestic intelligence service. He demands the formation of a caretaker government that will organize new elections.

Gruevski angrily rejects the accusations.

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