Macedonian opposition to continue parliamentary boycott

SKOPJE, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Macedonia's largest opposition party VMRO-DPMNE decided late Wednesday to continue its parliamentary boycott for an undefined period of time.

"VMRO-DPMNE lawmakers won't attend Thursday's plenary session where Members of Parliament (MPs) address questions to government," Vllatko Gjorcev told reporters, adding that the boycott would continue.

Gjorcev explained that the reasons that led the opposition party to make the decision related to Wednesday's ruling by a Skopje court to extend the detention measure for 29 suspects connected to events in Macedonian Parliament on April 27 in which protesters stormed parliament, resulting in violence and destruction.

The court extended the 30-day detention of 23 people, four will remain under house arrest, and two people will be put under home confinement as a replacement for detention.

Among the 29 suspected are six VMRO-DPMNE MPs. This was the main topic of a meeting held late Tuesday between Macedonian premier Zoran Zaev and VMRO-DPMNE newly-elected leader Hristijan Mickoski.

Mickoski asked Zaev to release the detained lawmakers.

But Zaev's press office informed that the prime minister declined the request, arguing that the courts were the ones to decide based on evidence and facts.

Earlier, Zaev told reporters he expected opposition VMRO-DPMNE lawmakers to attend the Q&A parliamentary session scheduled for Thursday.

"If they fail to attend, the session would be rather brief, as I've no intention to take questions from the MPs representing the majority," Zaev told reporters. Enditem