In the past, Macedonia’s political system has been designed to marginalize and control the ethnic Albanian population, says Arben Xhaferi, a leader of the Albanian Democratic Party (DPA) of Macedonia and member of the Macedonian parliament since 1994. The elections of November 1 in that country ousted the ruling Social Democrats and opened the door for Albanians—a minority comprising 25–30 percent of the population—to participate in a coalition government.

While negotiating DPA participation, Xhaferi pressed for recognition of the legitimate desire of ethnic Albanians for equal social, economic, and political treatment. He discussed the goals and concerns of ethnic Albanians in Macedonia at a Balkans Working Group meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace on October 1. Macedonia gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991.

Large numbers of Macedonia’s Albanians live in the western part of the state, where, they say, the government has failed to invest in economic development or to improve the infrastructure. The area shares borders with Albania and with Serbia’s Kosovo province. At the request of the Macedonian government, 1,000 United Nations soldiers have patrolled the borders for the last six years, helping to stabilize the region. Albanians in Macedonia hope such stability eventually will allow “the free movement of Albanian peoples, ideas, and goods throughout Albanian territories,” Xhaferi said.

Within Macedonia, among other goals, Albanians want equal access to jobs. For example, ethnic Albanians represent only 3 percent of the country’s public officials and professionals—in the government, army, courts, media, and cultural and scientific institutions, Xhaferi said. They also want the government to officially recognize graduates of the Albanian University of Tetovo.

Over the long term, constitutional changes will be required to guarantee Albanian rights, Xhaferi said. “Albanians and Macedonians need to arrive at an agreement that changes the national system into a binational and multicultural system,” he concluded.

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