Democratic Union for Integration
| Democratic Union for Integration | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Ali Ahmeti |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Ideology | Islamic Democracy |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| European affiliation | None |
| International affiliation | None |
| Colours | Blue |
| Macedonian Parliament |
19 / 123 |
| Mayors |
14 / 81 |
| Website | |
| http://www.bdi.mk | |
|
Politics of the Republic of Macedonia Political parties Elections | |
The Democratic Union for Integration (Albanian: Bashkimi Demokratik për Integrim, BDI; Macedonian: Демократска унија за интеграција, ДУИ — Demokratska unija za integracija, DUI) is the largest Albanian political party in the Republic of Macedonia, and the third largest political party in all of Macedonia. It was formed immediately after the country's 2001 conflict between the National Liberation Army (NLA) and the Macedonian Security Forces.
DUI succeeded the NLA, after the war in Macedonia in 2001, when the latter was dismantled and disarmed. The NLA leader Ali Ahmeti became party president, while the para-militant wartime headquarters was transformed and legalized as the party governing body. However, after the war, many Albanian intellectuals from Macedonia, that were not members of the NLA, joined the party. The political party was formed in June 2002.
At the legislative elections on 15 September 2002, the party won 11.9% of the popular vote (70% of the Albanian vote) and 16 of 120 seats.
From 2002 to 2006 it was part of the ruling coalition along with the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) and the Liberal Democratic Party.
In the 2006 legislative election, the party formed coalition with Party for Democratic Prosperity and Democratic League of Bosniaks. This coalition received 12,2% of the vote and 18 seats. Although DUI won the largest number of seats among ethnic Albanian parties (14), since their Macedonian governmental partners lost the election, it was not invited by the new Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski to participate in the new government. Its place was taken by the second largest Albanian political party, the Democratic Party of the Albanians.
However, after the 2008 legislative early election, the party returned to government in coalition with VMRO-DPMNE.
In the 2011 parliamentary election, DUI received 10.2% of the total vote, winning 15 seats. This is a loss of the 3 seats from the previous election.[1]
Controversy
Party symbol
The party's flag and symbol show the first letter of every word of the party name in Albanian (BDI), topped by seven stars.
Skopje Fortress incident
After the foundations of a 13th-century church were found by a governmentally funded excavation within the Skopje Fortress complex, the Cultural Heritage Protection Office actioned a project to restore it in the form of a church museum. The DUI requested the Macedonian Government to halt construction in early 2011, which was ignored. Two weeks later, just under a hundred DUI supporters converged on the site on 11 February 2011, among them three high-ranking ethnic Albanian ministers, and some damaged part of the scaffolding.[2]
External links
References
- ↑ "Conservative Leader Claims 3rd Term In Macedonia". NPR. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ↑ "100 DUI Activists Try to Bring Down Church at Kale Fortress". Macedonian International News Agency. 11 February 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
