Johannes Hahn, the European Union\'s enlargement commissioner, plans to visit Macedonia on March 21 in another attempt to help break a political deadlock that has left the country unable to form a government since December\'s election. A group called \"For A United Macedonia\" -- which supports the agenda of the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party -- has called for a demonstration outside the EU mission\'s Skopje office during Hahn\'s visit. The group says it wants to send \"a clear message to Hahn\" that members oppose a government that would \"ruin the unitary character\" of Macedonia by making Albanian an official language. Three ethnic Albanian parties have demanded Albanian become an official second language as a condition for joining any coalition government. VMRO-DPMNE leader and former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski refused to meet those demands. Social Democratic Union leader Zoran Zaev tried to form a coalition with the ethnic Albanian parties. But President Gjorge Ivanov, also from the VMRO-DPMNE, refused to give Zaev the official mandate to do so. Ivanov argued that the language issue was an attempt to destroy Macedonia\'s independence.

Source: RFE/RL\'s Balkan Service With reporting by Reuters and AP