Today in Macedonia is the last day of the campaign before the first in the history of the country early parliamentary elections on Sunday, June 1.

Expectations are that the coalition around the ruling party VMRO-DPMNE will win about 33% of the votes and thus will ensure its own majority, i.e. over 60 of the total 120 deputy mandates. Predictions about the outcome of the coalition around the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) are that it is going to win about 11 percent of the votes. Estimates for the two main Albanian political parties - Democratic Union for Integration (DSI) of Ali Ahmeti and the Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA) of Menduh Tachi, have shown similar for them results (about 8-9%) with small advantage for DSI. It is intriguing which of the two Albanian parties will be chosen for coalition partner in future management with projected winner VMRO-DPMNE. Ali Ahmeti insists that if his party receives more votes than DPA, DSI must participate in the cabinet. VMRO-DPMNE, however, is categorical that can not form a coalition with DSI - a party consisting of former terrorists from the armed conflict in 2001 and VMRO-DPMNE will choose the "lesser evil" - DPA. After the serious firings at the beginning of the election campaign between the members of the two Albanian parties, the international community made serious warnings and now the main aim is to escape any incidents on the elections day. Thus, Macedonia will prove it can organize fair and democratic elections. The Internal Minister Gordana Jankulovska already announced that a record number (without specifying it) of policemen, special troops, even helicopters will be involved in maintaining security on the Election Day.

VMRO-DPMNE has already defined five strategic priorities for its government over the next 4 years. In the first place is increasing of economic growth, reducing unemployment and raising the living standard. Only secondary is the country's integration into NATO and the EU. Among the other priorities are fighting crime and corruption, maintenance of good interethnic relations, investment in education.

The focus in the election promises of the coalition around the SDSM is that when they come to power, they will provide after 6 months the country's membership in NATO and will fix the date for starting negotiations for EU membership. One very important, emerging issue is the dispute with Greece on the name, which became the reason that Macedonia did not receive an invitation to join NATO at the April meeting in Bucharest. The doors for Macedonia were not closed and there remained a "backup" option. Expectations are that if until July a decision on the name Macedonia is reached it will be invited to join NATO, to be able to join Albania and Croatia, so that the three countries together enter NATO. The signals from the VMRO-DPMNE are that the party will not compromise on the name, which would undermine the national identity. The promise of SDSM for quick NATO membership is interpreted as willingness to compromise on any name. It is yet to be seen who will compromise and what compromises will be made. Obviously it is Macedonia's hot summer.