The atmosphere in which snap parliamentary elections were held in Macedonia required all political parties in the country to assume their share of the "responsibility", Bulgarian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Dimitar Tsanchev said in a statement.

Violence in the country on the election day left one dead and nine wounded. Voting was halted at up to 15 voting stations at the ethnic Albanian village of Aracinovo, north of capital Skopje, international news agencies reported. Nine people were reported arrested after the Aracinovo shootings.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which monitored the elections, said that intimidation, unrest, ballot box stuffing and tampering with results were all among the "serious irregularities" reported by its observers.

Tsanchev qualified the elections as "a test for the state and citizens, with respect to the implementation of European principles and norms", without passing judgement on whether Macedonia passed the test.

The next step was for incumbent prime minister Nikola Gruevski, who "confirmed expectations of a convincing victory" in the elections, to rapidly put together a government coalition, which would strengthen state institutions in Macedonia.

"Continuing the integration of the Republic of Macedonia will require the readiness of the new government to make difficult decisions and give an immediate answer to open questions, engaging the country on a strategic course to membership in the European Union and Nato," Tsanchev said.

The successful implementation of a balanced and realistic policy by authorities in Skopje would promote stability in the Balkan region as a whole, he said.