(BRUSSELS) - The European Union urged Macedonia's new government Tuesday to widen reforms and reach out to the opposition after violence-marred general elections.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn "hopes the new government will take up vigorously the work needed to take forward its reform agenda for the benefit of the citizens and the EU aspirations of the country," his spokeswoman said.

"A new political climate needs to be established between all the political actors in the country. Constructive dialogue between all political parties in government or opposition will be critical for consensus on reform," she said.

"Much work remains to be done," the spokeswoman added, as the European Commission prepares a progress report on Macedonia's candidacy to the EU, to be released in November.

The remarks came after Macedonia voted largely peacefully Sunday in a partial rerun of June 1 general elections that were marred by violence, threatening to torpedo its hopes of joining the European Union.

They were staged in the mainly ethnic Albanian-populated areas, where one person was killed and several others wounded in gun battles during the previous polls won by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's conservatives.

The rerun cannot affect the outcome of the snap parliamentary elections.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the continent's elections watchdog, said that the vote repeat was free of violence but still tainted by "tensions and intimidation".

Macedonia has officially been a candidate since 2005 for membership of Europe's rich club, but it has not been set any date for accession talks to begin.

The commission, the EU's executive arm, has the power to recommend to the 27 member nations whether the negotiations should start.

The spokeswoman declined to comment directly on the conduct of Sunday's polls.

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