BELGRADE (Sputnik) – On Tuesday, Ivanov issued pardons to 56 people from the ruling parties and the opposition, with some of them being under crime investigations. He explained the move by the necessity for national reconciliation. The decision sparked mass protests on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
According to Nova TV, the latest in the series of protests against the decision held in Macedonia’s capital Skopje on Friday did not see any clashes between police and demonstrators. Access to all official buildings was blocked on Friday and there was a large number of law enforcement officers in the streets.
Thousands of people reportedly took part in the Friday protest demanding Ivanov’s resignation and the postponement of parliamentary elections.
On Thursday, Macedonian police arrested a total of 13 individuals in the course of an anti-government protest in Skopje.
A number of Macedonian politicians, including former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, are involved in a scandal surrounding the alleged wire-tapping of some 20,000 people's phones. Information about the illegal tapping was first revealed in 2015 and resulted in a number of legal proceedings being instigated against those suspected of involvement.
