The Zaev Government came out against the demands from a number of smaller parties, many of them Zaev’s coalition partners, to have the next elections conducted in a single electoral district. This would undercut the numbers of seats won by the larger parties like SDSM and VMRO-DPMNE, and especially those of ethnic Albanians who rely on having a majority Albanian electoral district to mask their very low turnout. It would allow several smaller parties to win seats on their own without forcing them to join VMRO or SDSM in a coalition.

Zaev initially promised he will support this idea, couching it as a move that would reduce the political power of the Albanian parties. Zaev called the idea “a major democratic step forward”. But he is now walking back the promise, likely under pressure from his coalition partner DUI.

The move is supported by parties like LDP, DOM and DS, who provide key votes to prop up Zaev’s Government. It’s likely that the Government will also give up on the proposal of introducing preferential voting lists – another of his promises to the smaller coalition partners.