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VMRO-DPMNE
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (Macedonian: Внатрешна македонска револуционерна организација – Демократска партија за македонско национално единство, romanized: Vnatrešna makedonska revolucionerna organizacija – Demokratska partija za makedonsko nacionalno edinstvo), abbreviated as VMRO-DPMNE (Macedonian: ВМРО–ДПМНЕ), is a conservative and the main centre-right to right-wing political party in North Macedonia.
It was established as a nationalist and anti-communist party. It has later rebranded itself as Christian-democratic. The party claims that their goals and objectives are to express the tradition of the Macedonian people on whose political struggle and concepts it is based. Nevertheless, it has formed multiple coalition governments with ethnic minority parties. Under the leadership of Ljubčo Georgievski in the 1990s, the party supported Macedonian independence from Socialist Yugoslavia, and led a policy of closer relationships with Bulgaria. Georgievski left VMRO-DPMNE and formed the VMRO – People's Party in 2004.
Under the leadership of Nikola Gruevski, the party promoted ultranationalist identity politics in the form of antiquisation. Its nationalist stances were often also anti-Albanian. During Gruevski's leadership the party changed from a pro-European and а pro-NATO policy, to a Russophilic, pro-Serbian and anti-Western one.[further explanation needed] His government also managed to build strong anti-EU sentiments within the country.[further explanation needed]
The party's full name consists of the acronyms "VMRO" (standing for Vnatrešna Makedonska Revolucionerna Organizacija and referencing the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), a rebel movement formed in 1893) and "DPMNE" (Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity, Demokratska partija za makedonsko nacionalno edinstvo). After undergoing various transformations, the original organisation was suppressed after the military coup d'état of 1934, in its headquarters in Bulgaria. At that time the territory of the current North Macedonia was a province called Vardar Banovina, part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. As the Bulgarian army entered Yugoslav Macedonia as German satellite during WWII, former IMRO members were active in organising Bulgarian Action Committees, charged with taking over the local authorities. After Bulgaria switched to side with the Allied powers in September 1944, they tried to create a pro-Bulgarian independent Macedonian state under the protectorate of the Third Reich. VMRO–DPMNE claims ideological descent from the old IMRO, although there is no known continuity between the two organisations. The historical IMRO was as a whole pro-Bulgarian grouping, and its membership was allowed initially only for Bulgarians.
Following the death of Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito in 1980, SFR Yugoslavia began to disintegrate and democratic politics were revived in Macedonia. Many exiles returned to then SR Macedonia from abroad, and a new generation of young Macedonian intellectuals rediscovered the history of Macedonian nationalism. Dragan Bogdanovski, who was a proclaimed Macedonian rights movement activist, had created the political program for the Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity on 23 January 1990 in Stockholm, Sweden. A meeting at the end of May happened between Ljubčo Georgievski and Bogdanovski, Boris Zmejkovski, and a few other activists, where they agreed to make the party. Under the name VMRO–DPMNE, it was founded on 17 June 1990 in Skopje, as a Macedonian nationalist and anti-communist party. Georgievski was elected as the party's first president in the constituent assembly. The party advocated for the independence of Macedonia, the withdrawal of the Yugoslav National Army, creation of a Macedonian defence force, establishment of an independent currency and international recognition as a sovereign state.
After the first multi-party elections in 1990, VMRO–DPMNE became the strongest party in the parliament. It did not form a government because it did not achieve a majority of seats; this forced it to form a coalition with an ethnic Albanian party, but it refused to do so. The party boycotted the second round of the 1994 elections claiming fraud in the first round. During the early 1990s, the party presented itself as an extreme right-wing nationalist party with anti-Albanian sentiments. It also promoted the irredentist concept of United Macedonia. By the mid-1990s, it created offices in most major cities. The party opposed the 1995 Interim Accord with Greece. During that period, the party moderated its rhetoric. After winning the 1998 election, VMRO–DPMNE formed a coalition government with the Democratic Alternative and Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA), with Georgievski as prime minister. In 1999, VMRO–DPMNE's candidate Boris Trajkovski was elected president. Under Georgievski, there was an improvement in Bulgaria–Macedonia relations. He signed a bilateral agreement with Bulgarian prime minister Ivan Kostov regarding good neighbourly relations.
In 2001, the party participated in a government of national unity. VMRO–DPMNE's government was defeated at the 2002 parliamentary elections. In an alliance with the Liberal Party of Macedonia, VMRO–DPMNE won 28 out of 120 seats. In 2004, Trajkovski died in a plane crash and Branko Crvenkovski was elected president, defeating VMRO–DPMNE's candidate Saško Kedev. After losing the 2002 elections, Georgievski left the party and established the VMRO-NP in 2004.
Nikola Gruevski was elected as the new leader of the party in May 2003. The widespread public support for EU membership in the 2000s encouraged the party to evolve into a moderate and pro-European party. It also rebranded itself as centre-right and Christian democratic. VMRO-DPMNE opposed the legalisation of the Tetovo University in early 2004. The party became the largest party in parliament again after a net gain of over a dozen seats in the 2006 parliamentary elections. With 44 of 120 seats, the party formed a government in coalition with the DPA again, with Gruevski becoming the prime minister. In its 2006 party programme, it emphasised the pursuit of EU and NATO membership as its major foreign policy goals. On 15 May 2007, the party became an observer-member of the European People's Party.
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VMRO-DPMNE
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (Macedonian: Внатрешна македонска револуционерна организација – Демократска партија за македонско национално единство, romanized: Vnatrešna makedonska revolucionerna organizacija – Demokratska partija za makedonsko nacionalno edinstvo), abbreviated as VMRO-DPMNE (Macedonian: ВМРО–ДПМНЕ), is a conservative and the main centre-right to right-wing political party in North Macedonia.
It was established as a nationalist and anti-communist party. It has later rebranded itself as Christian-democratic. The party claims that their goals and objectives are to express the tradition of the Macedonian people on whose political struggle and concepts it is based. Nevertheless, it has formed multiple coalition governments with ethnic minority parties. Under the leadership of Ljubčo Georgievski in the 1990s, the party supported Macedonian independence from Socialist Yugoslavia, and led a policy of closer relationships with Bulgaria. Georgievski left VMRO-DPMNE and formed the VMRO – People's Party in 2004.
Under the leadership of Nikola Gruevski, the party promoted ultranationalist identity politics in the form of antiquisation. Its nationalist stances were often also anti-Albanian. During Gruevski's leadership the party changed from a pro-European and а pro-NATO policy, to a Russophilic, pro-Serbian and anti-Western one.[further explanation needed] His government also managed to build strong anti-EU sentiments within the country.[further explanation needed]
The party's full name consists of the acronyms "VMRO" (standing for Vnatrešna Makedonska Revolucionerna Organizacija and referencing the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), a rebel movement formed in 1893) and "DPMNE" (Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity, Demokratska partija za makedonsko nacionalno edinstvo). After undergoing various transformations, the original organisation was suppressed after the military coup d'état of 1934, in its headquarters in Bulgaria. At that time the territory of the current North Macedonia was a province called Vardar Banovina, part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. As the Bulgarian army entered Yugoslav Macedonia as German satellite during WWII, former IMRO members were active in organising Bulgarian Action Committees, charged with taking over the local authorities. After Bulgaria switched to side with the Allied powers in September 1944, they tried to create a pro-Bulgarian independent Macedonian state under the protectorate of the Third Reich. VMRO–DPMNE claims ideological descent from the old IMRO, although there is no known continuity between the two organisations. The historical IMRO was as a whole pro-Bulgarian grouping, and its membership was allowed initially only for Bulgarians.
Following the death of Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito in 1980, SFR Yugoslavia began to disintegrate and democratic politics were revived in Macedonia. Many exiles returned to then SR Macedonia from abroad, and a new generation of young Macedonian intellectuals rediscovered the history of Macedonian nationalism. Dragan Bogdanovski, who was a proclaimed Macedonian rights movement activist, had created the political program for the Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity on 23 January 1990 in Stockholm, Sweden. A meeting at the end of May happened between Ljubčo Georgievski and Bogdanovski, Boris Zmejkovski, and a few other activists, where they agreed to make the party. Under the name VMRO–DPMNE, it was founded on 17 June 1990 in Skopje, as a Macedonian nationalist and anti-communist party. Georgievski was elected as the party's first president in the constituent assembly. The party advocated for the independence of Macedonia, the withdrawal of the Yugoslav National Army, creation of a Macedonian defence force, establishment of an independent currency and international recognition as a sovereign state.
After the first multi-party elections in 1990, VMRO–DPMNE became the strongest party in the parliament. It did not form a government because it did not achieve a majority of seats; this forced it to form a coalition with an ethnic Albanian party, but it refused to do so. The party boycotted the second round of the 1994 elections claiming fraud in the first round. During the early 1990s, the party presented itself as an extreme right-wing nationalist party with anti-Albanian sentiments. It also promoted the irredentist concept of United Macedonia. By the mid-1990s, it created offices in most major cities. The party opposed the 1995 Interim Accord with Greece. During that period, the party moderated its rhetoric. After winning the 1998 election, VMRO–DPMNE formed a coalition government with the Democratic Alternative and Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA), with Georgievski as prime minister. In 1999, VMRO–DPMNE's candidate Boris Trajkovski was elected president. Under Georgievski, there was an improvement in Bulgaria–Macedonia relations. He signed a bilateral agreement with Bulgarian prime minister Ivan Kostov regarding good neighbourly relations.
In 2001, the party participated in a government of national unity. VMRO–DPMNE's government was defeated at the 2002 parliamentary elections. In an alliance with the Liberal Party of Macedonia, VMRO–DPMNE won 28 out of 120 seats. In 2004, Trajkovski died in a plane crash and Branko Crvenkovski was elected president, defeating VMRO–DPMNE's candidate Saško Kedev. After losing the 2002 elections, Georgievski left the party and established the VMRO-NP in 2004.
Nikola Gruevski was elected as the new leader of the party in May 2003. The widespread public support for EU membership in the 2000s encouraged the party to evolve into a moderate and pro-European party. It also rebranded itself as centre-right and Christian democratic. VMRO-DPMNE opposed the legalisation of the Tetovo University in early 2004. The party became the largest party in parliament again after a net gain of over a dozen seats in the 2006 parliamentary elections. With 44 of 120 seats, the party formed a government in coalition with the DPA again, with Gruevski becoming the prime minister. In its 2006 party programme, it emphasised the pursuit of EU and NATO membership as its major foreign policy goals. On 15 May 2007, the party became an observer-member of the European People's Party.