North Macedonia’s political landscape has been further strained as the opposition ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) filed a no-confidence motion on December 3 against Interior Minister Pance Toskovski, his deputy and two deputy prime ministers.

The motion against Toskovski, Astrit Iseni and Deputy Prime Ministers Izet Mexhiti and Ivan Stoiljkovic follows a series of incidents during the Albanian Flag Day celebrations and recent arson attacks in Kumanovo.

Blerim Bexheti, coordinator of the DUI parliamentary group, announced the interpellations, citing the government's responsibility for security lapses during the November 28 celebrations and the subsequent unrest.

The DUI is demanding a parliamentary session where Toskovski would have to account for the security situation and police actions, broadcaster Telma reported.

The Flag Day celebrations, which saw hundreds of participants waving Albanian flags and disrupting traffic in Skopje, were marred by a series of incidents. A Macedonian flag was reportedly torn and burned, while in Prilep, an Albanian flag was desecrated. Additionally, the Serbian national flag was removed from the honorary consulate in Kumanovo.

Toskovski confirmed the arrest of 17 individuals, including minors, in connection with these incidents.

In Kumanovo, the situation has been further complicated by suspected arson attacks. On December 2, fires targeted several properties, including an office owned by DUI’s Kumanovo city councillor Fitor Jakupi and a car belonging to a senior prosecutor. Reports suggest the use of sophisticated equipment to block security cameras, pointing to a deliberate and coordinated act.

The right-wing VMRO-DPMNE, which formed a government in May, dismissed the interpellations as a sign of panic within the DUI. Meanwhile, the former ruling SDSM has reiterated its call for a leadership meeting of all parliamentary parties, a proposal rejected by both VMRO-DPMNE and the DUI, who refuse to engage in such a forum together.

The DUI, which had consistently held a place in government since 2001, has been excluded from the current coalition. Opposition MPs from the Albanian bloc have accused the government of creating an atmosphere of ethnic tension to discredit Albanians and disrupt coexistence between Macedonians and Albanians.

In August, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski warned of attempts to provoke ethnic conflict, suggesting that the DUI could be involved to preserve its long-standing political influence. The DUI has rejected these allegations, labelling them baseless.