Macedonia: Thousands rally in support of Prime Minister Gruevski

Thousands of people took to the street for a pro-government protest to support Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, in Skopje, Monday, following recent anti-government protests calling for the resignation of the Macedonian leadership. Organised by the Macedonian governing party VMRO-DPMNE, the rally took place in front of the parliament building after around 50,000 anti-government protesters gathered there on Sunday. Gruevski gave a speech to his supporters, who brought Macedonian flags and banners of support. The atmosphere was joyful and people were seen dancing and singing. The government claim that Macedonia is currently facing ''a directed attack aiming at [the] destabilisation'' of the country. The opposition leader Zoran Zaev stated that 4,600 people will remain in the camp in front of Macedonian Parliament until their demand for the resignation of PM Gruevski and the government is complied with.