CIVIL: The day started peacefully, with minor oversights and irregularities

CIVIL first press conference at 10 am

CIVIL’s monitoring is carried out by 160 accredited observers, of which all, without exception, are mobile and deployed across the country. They will visit between 1300 and 1600 polling stations in the country during the election day.

CIVIL’s press center is located in Menada Club, Old Bazaar Skopje, across the South East European University, and opened at 6.30 this morning.

From the start of the election silence, which took effect midnight between Friday and Saturday, May 3-4, until 9.00 this morning, CIVIL’s monitoring has noted more than 60 cases of violation to the election silence.

Election silence is violated on the ground with propaganda and distribution of propaganda material, on several internet portals, and mostly on the social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Even though the publications on the social networks are mostly made through private profiles of the networks and it can be said that they do not violate the Electoral Code directly, nevertheless,

it is violation of the election silence, especially since it is performed by political party members, activists and officials, and also informal political initiatives.

Public figures that the public recognizes as supporters of certain political options are also no exception. They are violating the election silence with their public statements during election silence.

Furthermore, persons employed in the public administration, even in the MOI, have also been noted of violating the election silence, who are calling for a boycott.

CIVIL notes cases of organized transportation of voters in Stip and Karbinci. A party observer in one polling station in Stip, as well as a member of the Election Board in Karbinci, are involved in activities of organizing transportation of voters. There are indications of violation to the election silence during this procedure. CIVIL disposes with photos and numbers of the licence plates.

Below is a selection of reports from CIVIL’s observers received from 7.00 am to 9.50 am.

At Polling station 2495 and 2496 in the primary school “Dane Krapcev” in Gazi Baba”, at 7.30 am there were no signs for prohibited weapons, taking photos and recording. The Election Board told the observer that the SEC had not sent them.

In the primary school “Krste Misirkov” in the neighbourhood of Cento in the municipality of Gazi Baba (where polling stations 2498, 2499, 2499/1 and 2500 are located) flyers were scattered around the school yard with a negative connotation for one of the candidates.

At polling station 1941, 1941/1 and 1942/1 in the Textile School in Tetovo, there were no signs for prohibited weapons, taking photos and recording, also the members of the Election Board at the beginning had no identity documenst and two batteries were lacking, which were brought to them later.

At polling station 2170 in the Workers University in Veles, around ten ballots were torn together with the part that is supposed to remain in the stack.

At polling station 2689 in the primary school “Ljuben Lape” in Aerodrom, a voter said out loud who he was going to vote for and was cautioned by members of the Election Board.

At polling station 2395 in the primary school “Nikola Vapcarov” in Cair, a voter was not figuring on the Voters Register. At the same polling station – a member of the Election Board photographed an ID card of a voter.

Polling station 2277 and 2278 did not receive voting booths for persons with disabilities, and used ordinary high divider screens instead.

At polling station 110 in the local community “Kole Laceto” in Bitola, members of the Election Board did not have identity documents and stated that they did not even know they were supposed to keep them. The Election Board did not even have enough pens.

At polling station 109 in the same local community, an elderly woman without any signs of disability and without a visible need for assistance, was behind the voting booth with a family member, who circled the ballot instead of her.

In building entrances in the neighbourhood of Kapistec, in the Skopje Municipality of Center, last night or early this morning, posters of an informal political initiative had been put up.

At polling station 2816 in the Army House in Skopje, there is no access to the booth for people with disabilities.

At polling station 1102 in the primary school in the village of Cerkezi in Kumanovo, a voter exclaimed “May the best win, and we know who will win” while putting the ballot in the ballot box.

At polling station 2298 in the school “Ivan Mihailov” in Stip, an accredited party observer while voting, marked with the accreditation, addressed a member of the Election Board to write him a message “how to proceed”. None of the members of the Election Board had accreditation.

At polling station 1935, 1936, 1943 and 1947 in the secondary school “Kiril Pejcinovik” in Tetovo, there were no signs for forbidden weapons at any polling station, nor in front of the entrance.

At polling station 2690 in the primary school “Gjorgija Pulevski” in Aerodrom, the Election Board has only three members, so one member tears the ballots and sprays the spray.