Branko Crvenkovski, the Social Democratic prime minister of Macedonia , took a clear lead over his conservative rival in the first round of voting to find a successor for President Boris Trajkovksi, who was killed in a plane crash two months ago.

ECONOMIST: A new plan in the Middle East

Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski again threatened to declare a formal state of war in Macedonia after ethnic-Albanian rebels, seeking to widen the conflict to an area hitherto unaffected, killed five government soldiers north-west of Skopje, the capital.

ECONOMIST: Ceasefire at last?

If people in Macedonia and elsewhere in the western Balkans lose hope of ever joining the EU, says Macedonia's deputy prime minister, Ivica Bocevski, everybody should start worrying about regional stability.

ECONOMIST: Annoy Greece, put up more statues of Alexander