Macedonia's local elections due on March 24

(SKOPJE) - Macedonia on Friday called local elections for March 24 in a tense political climate that has reigned since opposition boycotted parliament last month.

In so doing, it rejected an opposition call for early legislative elections to be held simultaneously.

Macedonia has been in a deep political crisis since December 24, when 17 people, including 11 policemen and two deputies, were slightly injured in scuffles over the 2013 budget.

Afterward, several thousand people staged an anti-government protest in the capital Skopje. The opposition Social Democrats (SDSM) have boycotted parliament ever since.

Early parliamentary elections largely won by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's party were held in June 2011. The SDSM has 29 deputies in the 123-seat assembly.