2016 Macedonian protests

In April 2016, protests began in the Republic of Macedonia against the incumbent President Gjorge Ivanov and the government led by the interim Prime Minister Emil Dimitriev from the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party. Referred to by some as the Colorful Revolution (Macedonian: Шарена револуција), the protests started after the controversial decision by President Gjorge Ivanov to stop the investigation of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and dozens of politicians who were allegedly involved in a wiretapping scandal. The demonstrations were organized by "Protestiram" (I protest) and supported by a coalition led by the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia and other opposition parties, in addition to the newly formed The Left demanding that the government resign and be replaced by a transitional government and that the parliamentary elections planned for 5 June 2016 be cancelled, on the grounds that the conditions for free and transparent elections were not in place. The government and its supporters, who had organized pro-government rallies, maintained that the elections on June 5 were the only solution to the political crisis, with some observers blaming the opposition for creating a "Ukraine scenario" in Macedonia.

Initially taking place in Skopje, the capital, both anti- and pro-government protests also occurred in other cities in the country, including Bitola, Kicevo, Kočani, Veles, Strumica, Prilep, Kumanovo and Tetovo. Thousands of people took part in the demonstrations. The European Union and the United States criticized the government of Macedonia for the pardon of the politicians and stated that Macedonia's prospects of becoming a member of the EU and NATO were under threat because of it. In an official statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia labelled the Macedonian opposition as a tool of foreign powers being used to destabilize the political situation in the country.

Large protests occurred in May 2015 in the Republic of Macedonia against the government of Prime Minister of Macedonia, Nikola Gruevski, following the publication of information by opposition leader Zoran Zaev that suggested Gruevski had thousands of Macedonian citizens wiretapped. Many people protested against alleged government corruption, with estimates putting the number of demonstrators in the tens of thousands, demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister. Pro-government rallies occurred as well, which also had tens of thousands attendees. An agreement, brokered by the European Union and the United States, was worked on in June and July 2015. As part of the agreement, Gruevski resigned in January 2016 and pledged to hold early elections, which were decided on later that year to be held on June 5.

On 12 April 2016, President of Macedonia Gjorge Ivanov halted judicial inquiries into 56 officials suspected of involvement in the wiretapping scandal. Ivanov stated to have done so in the best interest of the country, and to end the political crisis. His party of appointment, the VMRO-DPMNE allegedly did not agree with his action. Opposition leader Zoran Zaev subsequently called for supporting anti-government protests organized by NGOs.

Demonstrations have begun on 12 April 2016, with reports suggesting that about 4,000+ people took part. Crowds broke through a police cordon towards government buildings, throwing flares at President Ivanov's offices and burning portraits of him. More actions occurred on 14 April, with five police officers being injured from people throwing rocks and one protester being detained. The demonstration that occurred on 16 April and ended peacefully, but on 17 April, protesters threw eggs and stones at the triumphal arc on Skopje. Thousands of people demonstrated in Skopje on 15 April, carrying white flags and banners. On 18 April, it was reported that more than ten thousand people took part in demonstrations in Skopje, with protests also happening in other cities of Macedonia (including Bitola, Strumica and Veles).

The protest on 19 April began in front of the special prosecutor's office, proceeded to parliament and was stopped by police before reaching the EU mission. It numbered in the thousands. Several thousand people turned out for demonstrations on the eighth day of the protest, 20 April. At this point, throwing colours at various governmental buildings and monuments of the Skopje 2014 project had become a regular feature at the protests, and the term "colourful revolution“ gained some popularity among the protesters and the social media. On the eighth day, journalists also began referring to the protests as "colorful revolution“ - with Kristina Ozimec's article for Deutsche Welle being the first to use the term. Also on that day, Zaev announced that he would not be willing to take part in EU-brokered talks in Vienna (proposed by European Commissioner Johannes Hahn two days earlier) unless certain conditions are met. On 21 April, two rallies were held near each other in Skopje, each attended by thousands of people. One was anti-government, organized by the SDSM and the "Protestiram" (I Protest) organization, while the second was organized by the Citizens for Macedonian Defense (GDOM, in Macedonian), supported by the ruling VMRO party. The anti-government protest started in front of the special prosecutor's building, where protesters shouted "No Justice No Peace" and "Support the SJO" (special prosecution). The pro-government protesters shouted, "No one can harm you Nikola" and carried anti-NATO banners. On 22 April in 11 cities in Macedonia, there were big antigovernment demonstrations organized by "Protestiram" (I Protest) organization and supported by united opposition of Macedonia. On the same day, European Union announced sanctions for politics and persons from VMRO-DPMNE.

On 23 April, the anti-government protests continued in several cities in the country. The next day, Zdravko Saveski, member of the collective presidency of the left-wing party The Left and one other member of the same party were put in house custody. Previously, three more protesters were put in house custody. The protests organized by "Protestiram" (I protest) and supported by the opposition and nongovernmental organizations continued in several cities and the between 15,000 and 20,000 demonstrators in Skopje protest in front of the parliament, the several ministry, and in front of the government. On 25 April, a large pro-government rally occurred in Bitola, organized by the Citizens for Macedonian Defense (GDOM, in Macedonian), with thousands in attendance. They rallied in support of the planned parliamentary elections on June 5. On Tuesday, 26 April, the anti-government protests begin in new 3 cities: Tetovo, Kičevo and Radoviš, and this day there was protest in 15 cities in Macedonia. There was a pro-government rally on April 27, organized by GDOM in the city of Kicevo in support of the planned parliamentary elections on June 5. The anti-government protests continued after the holidays on 2 and 3 May in Skopje, Tetovo, Bitola, Prilep, Strumica, Kumanovo and Gevgelija. In Skopje, demonstrators protest in front of parliament, government and courts.

On 4 May, farmers join the "Protestiram" (I protest) movement with road block in the country. Also on that day, mass pro-government demonstrations organized by the GDOM occurred in Bitola, Stip, Veles, Delčevo, Gevgelija, Strumica, Kumanovo, Tetovo and Radoviš, in support of the June 5 elections. A spokesperson for the GDOM told the media that they needed to prevent destructive scenarios and allow the people to make their decision by voting in the scheduled elections. On 6 May 2016, there were anti-government protests in 14 cities around the country. In Skopje, there were demonstrators with symbols of resistance, and they were singing the resistance song "Bella Ciao" in front of the parliament and the government. On 5 May, the government of Germany appointed a special envoy, the former German ambassador to Yugoslavia, to help resolve the political crisis. Another GDOM demonstration occurred in Bitola on May 7. On 9 May, thousands of demonstrators in Skopje with Macedonian and EU flags, songs and resistance symbols protested in front of the parliament and government buildings. That day, there were also anti-government demonstrations in 11 other cities in the country including Strumica, Bitola, Prilep and Berovo.