North Macedonia’s Albanian parties divided over Serbian “World” remark and election law debate

A statement by Serbia’s minister for administration and local government, Snezana Paunović, suggesting that she would have "ethnically cleansed Kosovo" if she were in Slobodan Milošević’s era sparked controversy in North Macedonia. Albanian parties in the country turned the issue into a partisan clash: the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) accused the VLEN coalition of being overly close to Serbian‑inspired politics, while VLEN leaders replied that DUI has historically allowed Serbian political and security influence to deepen.

At the same time, public debate in North Macedonia has shifted to electoral reform. Politicians argue that the real need is to replace the current six‑electoral‑district system with a single nationwide electoral unit and to introduce open lists, rather than focusing solely on how the diaspora votes. They claim that such reforms would equalize each vote’s weight and give smaller parties a fair chance at representation.

Both issues highlight ongoing tensions within the Albanian community and broader questions about the country’s democratic processes.