SKOPJE (Reuters) - Macedonia's centre-left opposition boycotted the opening session of the new parliament on Saturday after accusing Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's conservatives of blackmailing and manipulating voters in last month's election.
The opposition SDSM says it will not take up its 34 seats in parliament. Although the ruling coalition has enough seats to form a government and pass laws, a prolonged boycott could create political turbulence in the ethnically divided state and hamper its ambitions to join the European Union.