SkopjeDiem Macedonia in English
Head of OSCE’s Mission for Monitoring of the 2020 Parliamentary Election in Macedonia Laima Andrikiene presented at a press conference the evaluation of OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) for the parliamentary election in Macedonia. “This is a very challenging time to be holding elections, and we recognize the authorities’ efforts to adapt to the new circumstances. However, there are unsolved issues with the electoral law and process that often led to last-minute political agreements. This needs to be given serious attention by the authorities well ahead of the next elections. Election day itself went smoothly despite some technical challenges with the reporting of results. However, longstanding structural issues in compiling the voter register remain unaddressed. The legal framework was changed substantially shortly before the elections were announced, which goes against international good practice. Continuing inconsistencies and ambiguous formulations undermine legal certainty, and still need substantial revision. Candidates had the opportunity to genuinely compete and deliver their messages, although the campaign was characterized by negative rhetoric at the expense of policy discussions on content. Media coverage of the elections generally lacked a critical assessment of platforms, and rules on paid political advertisements favoured the three largest parties,” Andrikiene said.
