Major rally staged in front of Macedonian government building

Tens of thousands of people gathered in front of Macedonian government building in Skopje on Sunday at a major rally against the government of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Balkan Investigative Reporting Network reported.

The protesters demanded the resignation of Gruevski over the alleged illegal surveillance scandal revealed by the opposition. They sought the formation of a transitional government that will prepare the country for what they call free and fair elections.

The rally was organised by opposition parties and backed by many non-government organisations and rights movements. Macedonian students who started gathering around noon in front of Skopje's university also joined the rally.

Zoran Zaev, the leader of opposition Social Democrats told the media it will be "the biggest ever protest rally in Macedonia" with a "civil" and a "multi-ethnic" dimension.

Since February, the opposition has been releasing taped conversations that appear to show that the government has been involved in a wide range of misdeeds and political tricks. They include election fraud, abuse of the justice system and covering up the murder of a young man by a police officer.

Prime Minister Gruevski on Saturday said he would not step down.