TIRANA, July 18 (Xinhua) -- A senior official from Macedonia's opposition party has been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of corruption, news reaching here from Skopje reported on Friday.

    Zoran Zaev, vice-president of the Social Democrats, was arrested on Thursday along with four other people on suspicion of abuse of office in a tender for a local shopping mall in Strumica where he serves as its major.

    Skopje District Court made the decision to release the five men on bail, but seized their passports to make sure that the five stay in the country till the start of their trial.

    Zaev's detention outraged the opposition bloc, which walked out of the country's parliament session and accused the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevksi of trying to intimidate the opposition and forcing it into wilderness.

    The European Union on Friday urged the opposition parties in Macedonia to return to the Parliament.

    "We call upon all parliamentary parties to take their place in the parliament and participate in the political dialogue in order to reach a political consensus in all areas of national interest," Krisztina Nagy, EU spokesperson, said.