Democratic Union for Integration

The party was founded on 5 June 2002 by former NLA leader Ali Ahmeti, who has been the party's president ever since.{{cite book |author=Jenny Engström |title=Democratisation and the Prevention of Violent Conflict: Lessons Learned from Bulgaria and Macedonia |date=2009 |publisher=Ashgate |isbn=9780754674344 |page=115}}{{cite book |editor1=Vera Stojarová |editor2=Peter Emerson |title=Party Politics in the Western Balkans |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781135235857 |page=177}}{{cite book |author1=Robert Bideleux |author2=Ian Jeffries |title=The Balkans: A Post-Communist History |date=2007 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781134583287 |page=449}}

In the 2002 parliamentary election, the party won 12.1% of the popular vote (roughly 70% of the Albanian vote){{cite book |author=Dimitar Bechev |title=Historical Dictionary of North Macedonia |date=2019 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9781538119624 |page=91 |edition=2nd}} and 16 of 120 seats,Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1278 {{ISBN|978-3-8329-5609-7}} compared to 7 seats by Democratic Party of Albanians and 2 seats by Party for Democratic Prosperity.{{cite book |editor1=Zoltan D. Barany |editor2=Robert G. Moser |title=Ethnic politics after communism |date=2005 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=9780801443770 |page=93}}

From 2002 to 2006, it was part of the ruling "Together for Macedonia" coalition along with the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) and the Liberal Democratic Party.

In the 2006 parliamentary election, the party formed a coalition with the Party for Democratic Prosperity and the Democratic League of Bosniaks. This coalition received 12.2% of the vote and 16 seats. Although DUI won the most seats among ethnic Albanian parties (13), since their governmental partners lost the election, it was not invited by the newly elected Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski to participate in the government. Its place was taken by the second-largest ethnic Albanian political party, the Democratic Party of the Albanians.

However, after the 2008 early parliamentary election, the party returned to the government in a coalition with Gruevski's VMRO-DPMNE.{{cite book |author=Gianluca Passarelli |title=The Presidentialisation of Political Parties in the Western Balkans |date=2018 |publisher=Springer |isbn=9783319973524 |page=102}}

In the 2011 parliamentary election, DUI received 10.2% of the total vote, winning 15 seats, a loss of 3 seats from the previous election.{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=136984879 |title=Conservative Leader Claims 3rd Term in Macedonia |work=NPR|date=6 June 2011 |access-date=6 June 2011 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} DUI had the best election result in the 2014 parliamentary election when it received 153,646 votes (14.2%), winning 19 seats, and had the worst result in the next election in 2016, receiving 86,796 votes (7.5%). In 2016, DUI entered the government in a coalition with SDSM.{{cite book |editor=Vasiliki P. Neofotistos |title=Macedonia and Identity Politics After the Prespa Agreement |date=2021 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780367407292 |page=10}}

In the campaign for the 2020 parliamentary election, DUI made its participation in any coalition contingent on the nominee for Prime Minister being an ethnic Albanian, which both SDSM and VMRO-DPMNE have refused. On 18 August, SDSM and DUI reached a deal on a coalition government as well as a compromise on the issue of an ethnic Albanian Prime Minister.{{Cite news|date=18 August 2020|title=N. Macedonia: Pro-Western party secures coalition deal|url=https://apnews.com/b00f1c9cae852ed03837b4dd2b01189c|access-date=20 August 2020|website=AP News|language=en}}{{cite web |last1=Marusic |first1=Sinisa Jakov |title=Zoran Zaev to Lead North Macedonia's Government Again |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2020/08/18/zoran-zaev-to-lead-north-macedonias-government-again/ |website=Balkan Insight |access-date=20 August 2020 |date=18 August 2020}}

On World Environment Day in 2021, Ahmeti announced the party will focus more on environmental issues, citing Greta Thunberg's activism as inspiring the party's new direction.{{cite web|title=Largest Ethnic Albanian Party in North Macedonia Goes Green|website=Exit News|url=https://exit.al/en/2021/06/07/largest-ethnic-albanian-party-in-north-macedonia-goes-green/|date=7 June 2021|access-date=7 June 2021|archive-date=7 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607152017/https://exit.al/en/2021/06/07/largest-ethnic-albanian-party-in-north-macedonia-goes-green/|url-status=dead}}

In 28 January Talat Xhaferi of Democratic Union for Integration has been elected as prime minister of the technical government of North Macedonia which, in accordance with the Pržino Agreement, will lead the country in the 100 days prior to the parliamentary elections scheduled for 8 May.{{Cite web |title=Талат Џафери: Имаме обврска да обезбедиме фер избори – DW – 25.01.2024 |url=https://www.dw.com/mk/talat-daferi-se-podgotvuva-da-go-zameni-kovacevski-imame-obvrska-da-obezbedime-fer-i-demokratski-izbori/a-68086624 |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=dw.com |language=mk}}

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• [http://www.bdi.mk/ Democratic Union for Integration]

{{Macedonian political parties}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Democratic Union For Integration}}

Category:2002 establishments in the Republic of Macedonia

Category:Albanian political parties in North Macedonia

Category:Political parties established in 2002

Category:Pro-European political parties in North Macedonia