The political situation in Macedonia continued to be unstable in 2016. As a result, CSOs found it increasingly
difficult to access and cooperate with government institutions, and their involvement in policy development
continued to deteriorate. As part of the 2015 Przino Agreement, brokered by the EU and the US between the four main political parties—the ruling Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) and Democratic Union for Integration (BDI); and the opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) and Democratic Party of Albanians (PDSh)—Nikola Gruevski resigned as prime minister in January 2016. A technical government was formed to organize early parliamentary elections. On April 12, President Gjorge Ivanov pardoned fifty-six high-ranking officials suspected of involvement in
illegal wiretapping, massive corruption, election-rigging, and other criminal wrongdoing.