Violence and electoral irregularities have marred the June 1 elections in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), as the ruling nationalist party, the VMRO-DPMNE held on to power in a landslide.

Foreign observers expressed their concerns at stolen and stuffed ballot boxes, intimidation of voters and violence resulting in the death of at least one ethnic Albanian in the north of the Balkan state.

The U.S State Department released a statement that said, there was "widespread irregularities, including theft or stuffing of ballot boxes, and manipulation of voter lists in polling stations, especially in the Northwest of the country and in the City of Skopje." and that "In some instances, observers noted police and other law enforcement officials either standing by while irregularities were occurring, or actively aiding the perpetrators."

Sunday's unrest will also have negative impact on the country's NATO and EU prospects according to the State Department: "The seriously flawed voting on June 1 greatly discredits this country and negatively affects its EU and NATO integration prospects."

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and his party, the VMRO-DPMNE, obtained 47% of the vote, more than double the next next largest party, the Social Democrats, which took only 23%. The comfortable victory of Gruevski is considered to be at least in part to his hardline nationalist stance with respect to the country's ethnic Albanian minority and the naming dispute the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) has with Greece. 

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