Police say 77 injured in Macedonia clashes

Police face protesters gathered outside Macedonia’s parliament after the governing Social Democrats and ethnic Albanian parties voted to elect an Albanian as parliament speaker in Skopje on April 27, 2017. AFP

SKOPJE, Macedonia — Authorities in Macedonia said Friday 77 people have been injured in the clashes inside and outside the country’s parliament building.

The injured included 22 police officers and three lawmakers who were attacked when dozens of protesters pushed through a police cordon and stormed into parliament.

The demonstrators were angry over Thursday’s election by lawmakers of a new parliament speaker despite a months-old deadlock in efforts to form a new government.

The leader of Macedonia’s opposition Social Democrat party leader was one of those attacked and he has been greeted by hundreds of supporters. Zoran Zaev and several other lawmakers from his party appeared outside the Social Democratic headquarters in the capital several hours after the attack.

In a statement, the party accuses rival conservatives of inciting the violence and causing “hatred and division” among Macedonians.

Greece’s Foreign Ministry said it was concerned that neighboring Macedonia may be “sliding into deep political crisis” following attacks on politicians by protesters who swarmed into parliament.

A ministry statement issued late Thursday expressed “sadness and concern” at the assault on parliament and called on Macedonia’s political rivals to show a “spirit of compromise and collaboration.”

Without it, the ministry said, “impasses can lead to explosive situations.”

Demonstrators rushed into the parliament building and assaulted several lawmakers following a controversial vote to elect a new parliament speaker.