The Macedonian Alliance for European Integration (Macedonian Party) (; ) is a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

of the ethnic Macedonians in Albania. It was established on 30 October 2004 under the name ''Macedonian Alliance for European Integration'' and was registered as a political party on 8 June 2005. The first president of the party was

Edmond Temelko Edmond Temelko () is the former president of the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration. He has been mayor of the Pustec Municipality from local elections held in 2007 until 2019, before which he was councilor in the municipal council. He i ...

, who was the mayor of the

Pustec Municipality Pustec Municipality (; ), previously known as Liqenas Commune () from 1973 to 2013, is a municipality in the Korçë County of Albania. The population at the 2011 census was 3,290, in a total area of . The municipality's flag features the Vergina S ...

from 2007 until 2019. It first succeeded in electing an ethnic Macedonian to parliament in 2019, Vasil Sterjovski. Sterjovski himself was elected as the president of the party in September 2019. The party does not support the claims that a Bulgarian minority exists in Albania.

History

The party's first congress was held on 25 April 2009 in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

, the capital city of Albania. At the congress the party delegates made several major decisions: *the statute and party program were adopted *a central committee was formed *the party leader was elected *the party name was changed from ''Macedonian Alliance for European Integration'' into ''Macedonian Party'' *decisions were made about establishing regional organizations of the party In 2011, Macedonian Alliance for European Integration informed the mediums that Macedonians in Albania will boycott the Albanian Census of 2011. Also, the party denied the results, based on the Census Law Amendments approved by the Albanian Parliament that established a fine of $1,000 to each person declaring unreal or partial data, specifically declaring ethnicity different to what is written in the birth certificate. In August 2023, Vasil Sterjovski was unanimously re-elected as the party's president. The party became a member of the

European Free Alliance The European Free Alliance (EFA) is a European political party that consists of various regionalist, separatist and minority political parties in Europe. Member parties advocate either for full political independence and sovereignty, or some ...

in March 2024.

Electoral results

2007 local elections

The party participated in 2007 Albanian local election, obtaining 1.086 votes (0,08%) and gaining 4 councillor mandates: 1 in

Trebisht Trebisht (, ) is a former municipality in the Dibër County, eastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Bulqizë. The population at the 2011 census was 993.Liqenas Pustec (; ) formerly known as Liqenas (1973–2013), is a village in Pustec (municipality), Pustec Municipality, Korçë County, eastern Albania. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Prespa, it is home to much of the Macedonians in Albania, ...

, and Edmond Temelko with 1.468 votes supported by PS, LSI, PSD, PDS and AD was elected as mayor of the Liqenas Commune.

2009 parliamentary elections

The party participated in the

2009 Albanian parliamentary election 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...

and entered a coalition with the

Democratic Party of Albania The Democratic Party of Albania (, PDSH), also known as the Democratic Party (, PD), is a Conservatism, conservative political party in Albania. It has been the largest opposition party in the country since 2013 and has dominated the Albanian ...

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Sali Berisha Sali Berisha (; born 15 October 1944) is an Albanian cardiologist and conservative politician who served as the president of Albania from 1992 to 1997 and as the 32nd Prime Minister of Albania, prime minister of Albania from 2005 to 2013. Berisha ...

2011 local elections

In the 2011 local elections of Albania, the Macedonian Party president

was re-elected as the mayor of the Liqenas Commune. The party received a plurality in two municipalities,

Liqenas Pustec (; ) formerly known as Liqenas (1973–2013), is a village in Pustec (municipality), Pustec Municipality, Korçë County, eastern Albania. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Prespa, it is home to much of the Macedonians in Albania, ...

(28.5%) and

Trebisht Trebisht (, ) is a former municipality in the Dibër County, eastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Bulqizë. The population at the 2011 census was 993.Bilisht Bilisht () is a town and a former municipality in Korçë County, south-eastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision and the seat of the municipality Devoll, Korçë, Devoll. It was the seat of the former Devoll Dist ...

Pirg Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) are a federation of U.S. and Canadian non-profit organizations that employ grassroots organizing and direct advocacy on issues such as consumer protection, public health and transportation. The PIRGs are cl ...

, and other regions bordering the Republic of Macedonia.

2015 local elections

The party participated in 2015 Albanian local election, obtaining 3,647 votes (0.23%) and gaining 9 councilor mandates: 7 in

Pustec Pustec (; ) formerly known as Liqenas (1973–2013), is a village in Pustec Municipality, Korçë County, eastern Albania. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Prespa, it is home to much of the Macedonian minority in Albania. Geography ...

, 1 in

Pogradec Pogradec (,) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, eleventh most populous city in Albania and the capital of the eponymous municipality. It is located on a List of settlements on the Lake Ohrid coastline, narrow plain between two mountain ch ...

and 1 in

Maliq Maliq ( sq-definite, Maliqi), formerly known as Malik ( sq-definite, Maliki), is a town and a municipality in Korçë County of eastern Albania. It is the smaller of two cities in the district, the other being Korçë, southeast of Maliq. The cu ...

, and Edmond Temelko with 2,076 votes supported by ASE was elected as mayor of the

2023 local elections

In the

2023 Albanian local elections Local elections were held on 14 May 2023 in Albania. Mayors and municipal council seats were being elected in each of Albania's 61 municipalities. Background The 2019 Albanian local elections were boycotted, leading to the Socialists running un ...

, the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration was in coalition with the ruling Socialist Party and supported the incumbent Socialist Party mayor of Pustec, Pali Kolefski. The party had candidates for councilors in Pustec, though Macedonian candidates in other parts of the country ran under the Socialist Party. Kolefski faced and defeated Pandi Jani, supported by the opposition. MAEI member Jovan Shkëmbi was elected to

local council and was subsequently selected for the council of

Korçë County Korçë County (), officially the County of Korçë (), is a Counties of Albania, county in the Southern Albania, Southern Region of the Republic of Albania. It is the largest by area and the List of counties of Albania by population, fifth most p ...

along with MAEI party member from Pustec Takjo Grozdani.

References

{{Macedonian diaspora organisations 2004 establishments in Albania Conservative parties in Albania European Free Alliance Macedonian diaspora Macedonian nationalism Political parties established in 2004 Political parties in Albania Political parties of minorities in Albania Pro-European political parties in Albania Regionalist parties