While millions of Christians prepare for Easter celebrations across the Balkans, political, economic and ethnic tensions are casting a dark shadow over the season of goodwill./

Serbians protest in Belgrade on April 10. Photo: Beta

Easter holds a special place in the hearts of most people in the Balkans, offering a combination of much-loved tradition, joyful moments with family and friends, feasting and beautiful scenery.In many Balkan countries, however, the calm of the Christian holiday, which should bring people of different ethnicities and religions together, is being marred by an combination of political, social and interethnic tensions, which the EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn has likened to a «frying pan full of oil».

While Balkan people know how to celebrate and will surely make the best out of the upcoming holidays, a variety of troubling issues may keep some of them awake at night.

Serbia – shaken by street protests:

Anti-government protests have brought thousands of people onto the streets in Serbia every evening for the past two weeks, ever since the outgoing Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vucic, won the presidential elections on April 2.

While students dominate the front line of the “Protest Against Dictatorship”, other social groups have also been joining in.Their main demand is for the resignation of the government. Vucic’s own reaction has been to say that protests are legitimate as long as they remain non-violent.The participants say they will continue their rallies after Easter.

With Vucic about to become President of Serbia, it remains unknown who will replace him as Prime Minister.The daily Blic last week said it was almost certain that he or she will not come from the ranks of Vucic’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party.

Whoever it is will probably only hold office for a year, as new general elections will likely be sheduled over the next two months.Vucic told the pro-government Happy TV station on Monday that he did not exclude general elections in June.Threats to journalists who criticize government or report on the anti-Vucic protests, or post something about them on social networks, have continued.

On  April 11, on the anniversary of the murder of the journalist and editor Slavko Curuvija, who was shot dead in 1999, the head of MPs group in parliament from Vucic’s Progressive Party, Aleksandar Marinovic, accused journalists, their relatives and some NGO activists, of organizing the protests.Journalists’ Associations condemned his statement, recalling that some of them had received death threats after being publicly attacked in pro-government tabloids.

Macedonia – stalemate raises fears of violence:

Nationalist protest in Macedonia. Photo: MIA

The Easter holiday in Macedonia comes in the middle of a deep crisis centring on the refusal of President Gjorge Ivanov and the VMRO DPMNE party to acknowledge the December election results and allow the formation of an opposition Social Democrat-led coalition government.

Amid repeated calls by VMRO DPMNE for people to «defend the country» from the alleged danger posed by the formation of the new government, protests by VMRO DPMNE supporters have rocked the capital and towns across the country.

Protesters, as well as new «patriotic associations» have implicity threatened violence if the opposition Social Democrats try to elect a new speaker and a new government in defiance of the President.

In a joint statement last week, the associations said they would support “all available non-violent or violent means to defend the fatherland” if any such government were to be formed.

Parliament has temporarily suspended its work over Easter, followed by the same announcement from the protesters on the streets.

Albania – opposition boycott threatens elections:

Lulzim Basha holding a speech at the protest tent. Photo: Basha’s Facebook Page

Since February, the opposition has been boycotting parliament and has set up a street tent in Tirana as a sign of their protest against the Socialist-led government.The opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha has demanded that Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama step down and allow the formation of a technical government that can lead the country into what it calls «free and fair» elections.

The opposition claims that money earned from widespread cannabis cultivation could easily be used by the ruling parties to rig the elections.Adding to the crisis, on Monday, 27 opposition parties refused to register for the June 18 elections. It is unclear now whether the electons can proceed.Rama has dismissed the opposition demands as absurd, while «de facto» starting the election campaign and urging people to give his Socialist Party a fresh mandate.The ruling coalition itself is splintering, however. Within the next week it should become clear whether Rama’s Socialists will run together with the Socialist Movement for Integration, LSI, or alone.LSI leader and chairman of parliament Ilir Meta last week flirted with the opposition demands, emphasizing that elections cannot take place if the opposition do not take part.

On April 19, parliament is also expected to open the procedures for the election of a new President, which may make political tensions even sharper.

Kosovo – fresh push to oust PM Mustafa:

Kosovo’s National Assembly. Photo: BIRN

Kosovo starts the holiday break amidst fresh opposition attempts to overthrow the government of Isa Mustafa.

The opposition Initiative for Kosovo, Nisma, has initiated a new no-confidence motion in Mustafa’s coalition government, which has been supported by two other parties, Vetevendosje and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK.The opposition is trying to woo MPs from the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, as well, to ensure it has enough votes to oust Mustafa.

Meanwhile, the government parties are also trying to muster the necessary votes to ratify a controversial border demarcation agreement with Montenegro.Parliament has not yet ratified the agreement, owing to strong resistance from opposition parties who claim that the country is surrendering some of its territory.

But the European Union has made ratification of the agreement the top condition for liberalisation of the visa regime with Kosovo.Meanwhile, all eyes are on the Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers, set up to try former Kosovo Liberation Army members for wartime and post-war crimes, which is expected to become operational in May.

Senior Kosovo Liberation Army figures are expected to be indicted and stand trial before the new court for alleged crimes committed during and after the war with Serbian forces.

Romania – no rest for ruling Social Democrats:

Romania’s Social Democrat-led government is under fire for raising wages and scrapping income taxes without assessing the effects on the state budget and the economy, while ruling party MPs and ministers are still pushing to relax anti-corruption legislation. The government has decided to raise public employees’ wages in stages by 2022, although economists and the Central Bank warn that the economy does not have the capacity to cover such rises. Almost a third of the budget would be spent on salaries, experts warn.

The government also plans to lower income tax from 16 per cent to 10 per cent, and to 0 per cent for those earning less than 2,000 lei (450 euros) a month. Economics experts warn that scrapping income taxes would lead to other expenses.

Ministers also have in mind a real fiscal revolution: the government plans to introduce new taxes on households and in order for this to work, the state will hire 35,000 fiscal exerts to help Romanians fill out income statements and provide receipts for all deductible expenses.

“This government needs to understand that … they can’t go forward just by raising wages,” Adrain Vasilescu, advisor to the Central Bank Governor, said, sounding the alarm last week.

Bosnia – ethnic fights turning into inter-party wars:

Covic, Ivanic and Izetbegovic at a meeting. Photo: Anadolu

The three members of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency held a session on Tuesday after nearly three months without a meeting, although the rules say they are obliged to hold sessions at least once within 14 days.

The reason for the long pause was Bosnian Serb anger over a failed attempt by the country’s Bosniaks, led by Bosniak Presidency member Bakir Izetbegovic, to appeal a genocide ruling that cleared neighbouring Serbia from accusations that it took part in genocide in Srebrenica during the 1992-1995 war.

Serbian Presidency member Mladen Ivanic and Croatian member Dragan Covic blocked the appeal, accusing Izetbegovic of pursuing the appeal without first ensuring a consensus.

Covic also resents Izetbegovic for blocking Croats from obtaining their own entity within Bosnia, like the Serbs have in Republika Srpska.

Inter-ethnic quarrels in Bosnia are also overlapping with inter-party quarrels, as Serbian parties in Republika Srpska fight for power amongst each other as well as with Bosniak parties nationally.

In Republika Srpska, a battle continues between the Alliance for Changes and the ruling Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, led by Milorad Dodik.

An equally fierce battle continues between the two biggest Bosniak parties, the Party for Democratic Action, SDA, and the Union for a Better Future, SBB, led by Fahrudin Radoncic.

Meanwhile, the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, led by Dragan Covic, is pushing for changes to election laws, complaining that Croats are currently outvoted within the current electoral system.

A new unit with a Croat majority, they argue, would solve the problem. But this idea remains anathema to most Bosniaks who oppose any further division of Bosnia along ethnic lines.

Bulgaria – yet another government close to formation:

Boyko Borissov and the leaders of the United Patriots signing the political program of their cabinet on Thursday. Photo: Boyko Borissov’s Facebook page

Bulgaria seems heading closer to having its third government in five years – a period marked by mass protests and political turbulence.

The leading centre-right GERB party, which came first in snap elections on March 26, and the nationalist United Patriots coalition, which finished in third place, have agreed a programme for their future coalition government, the leaders of the two formations said on Thursday.

The document is 21 pages long, a symbolic reference to its commitment to rule the country for a full four-year mandate, Valeri Simeonov, leader of the National Front for Salvation of Bulgaria, part of the United Patriots, told journalists.

According to GERB leader Boyko Borissov, the agreement followed over a week of tough negotiations in which both parties made significant compromises.

He also said ministerial posts in the cabinet that he will lead would be determined in the week after the Easter holidays.(BIRN)