In the early 2000s municipal boundaries within Macedonia in some areas were redrawn.[1] During difficult negotiations the governing Macedonian Social Democrats (SDSM) gave in to the request of its Albanian coalition partner that wanted Albanians within Skopje to surpass the 20% population mark by attaching two rural Albanian inhabited municipalities, Saraj and Kondovo.[1] The municipalities attachment to the capital city raised the Albanian population from 15.30% to 20.49%.[1] The change was seen as an important win among Albanians, while Macedonians were concerned with a more visible Albanian presence in Skopje and the increasing fragmentation of the urban population based on ethnicity.[1]
Demographics
According to the 2021 North Macedonia census, Saraj municipality has 38,399 inhabitants.[2][3] Ethnic groups in the municipality include:
The municipality names in italics have an Albanian population of over 50% but below 60%. Names in brackets are Albanian equivalents of the Macedonian names.
