A spokesman for the prime minister says Mr. Georgievski believes dialogue is no longer possible and strong military action is necessary to deal with the gunmen.
Parliament needs to approve the declaration by a vote of two-thirds.
The declaration will allow the military to call up all able-bodied men for service. The announcement follows overnight clashes outside the country's second largest city, Tetovo, that left five soldiers dead and six others wounded. Apparently in response to the clashes, crowds of Macedonians rioted Wednesday in the southern city of Bitola. Police say at least 15 shops belonging to ethnic Albanians have been torched. Meanwhile, U.S. and southeast European defense ministers strongly condemned what they called terrorist actions by the gunmen.