SKOPJE, Macedonia, Nov. 15 -- Macedonia's prime minister, Hari Kostov, resigned Monday over disagreements with ethnic Albanian coalition partners, setting off a government crisis in the Balkan state.
Kostov, who became prime minister in May, accused the Albanian Union for Integration Party of promoting partisan interests, nepotism and corruption, and submitted his resignation to the parliament speaker.
Ermira Mehmeti, spokeswoman for the ethnic Albanian party, said the group was surprised by Kostov's resignation and his accusations.
Kostov's resignation needs approval by the parliament, which will meet Thursday.
Kostov, 45, said he felt he had no real authority over the ethnic Albanian ministers in the coalition government. He said two key economic bills were not approved because ethnic Albanians had said their consent depended on 15 new jobs for ethnic Albanians in the state administration.
Proportional employment of the ethnic Albanians in the administration was a key provision of a Western-brokered agreement that ended a six-month ethnic conflict in 2001 between security troops and ethnic Albanian rebels. About 80 people died in the hostilities.
