Macedonia's embattled leader rallies supporters in show of force

Supporters of the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party and Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski take part in a rally in Skopje, Macedonia May 18, 2015. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

SKOPJE (Reuters) - Macedonia's embattled prime minister rallied tens of thousands of supporters on Monday in a show of force a day after opponents held their own mass protest to demand his resignation over damaging wire-tap revelations.

The crowd in central Skopje appeared comparable in size to Sunday’s opposition rally calling for Nikola Gruevski to quit over a flood of disclosures that the West says have cast serious doubt on the state of democracy in the former Yugoslav republic.