ELECTION REPORT #15: Black campaign and gender-based hatred, violation of right to vote, violation of COVID-19 protection measures and important information on CIVIL’s activities

In today’s edition of Election Report, we talk about the violation of the right to vote of COVID-19 patients, the black campaign and gender-based hatred, violation of the COVID-19 protection measures and some important information on CIVIL’s activities.

VIOLATION OF THE RIGHT TO VOTE OF COVID-19 PATIENTS

All citizens with the right to vote who are positive to COVID-19, as well as their loved ones, from yesterday, midnight October 12, can no longer exercise their right to vote. For example, yesterday, according to data from the Ministry of Health, 130 people tested positive to COVID-19. Those who have the right to vote among these fellow citizens of ours – are as if they don’t have it.

As we have said many times earlier, according to CIVIL, any obstacle, administrative, physical or health one, is a violation to the right to vote. The state has an obligation to ensure the exercise of the right to vote for all citizens equally. Certainly, the legislative house is most responsible for this situation, where political parties have an obligation to reach consensus on these important issues and to pass legal solutions that respect human rights and freedoms maximally, including also the right to vote.

BLACK CAMPAIGN AND GENDER-BASED HATRED

The election monitoring yesterday (October 12) noted a case of a fierce black campaign with hate speech and a gender-based one on the social media, from the Facebook page Ludata Joci Fan Klub, as well as other profiles on the social networks.

Women candidates of NSDP and SDSM in Stip are a target of extremely vulgar attacks with hate speech. Attempts for discrediting and damaging the integrity of the person are noted in the attacks, with posts that on many other grounds are contrary to the law.

The style, dynamics, topics and way of placing this content is recognizable, so a conclusion can easily be drawn that it is a matter of an organized black campaign in the social media and in some media outlets in the country.

For years, the public has been expecting from the institutions to engage more seriously in their legal obligations and to protect the citizens from such similar incidents, to find and to sanction the perpetrators of these lawfully forbidden, and in many cases criminal acts.

Furthermore, continuously for years, CIVIL has been demanding from political parties that encourage or sponsor teams for creating and spreading disinformation and hate speech, to stop doing so and to dismiss these teams within their frameworks, that is, to stop encouraging and sponsoring them.

VIOLATION OF COVID-19 PROTECTION MEASURES

Political parties continue violating recommendations and protocols for protection against COVID-19. Yesterday (October 12), the long-term observers singled out the rally of VMRO-DPMNE, where measures for protection of the public health were completely neglected. The monitoring also notes that the hosts of the program of VMRO-DPMNE’s rally had called on the participants to maintain distance and to protect themselves, but without any success.

A similar report on violation of measures for protection of the public health also comes from Struga, where at the rally of DUI, measures were seen not to be complied to.

CIVIL ACTIVITIES

Today, October 13, at 5:30 pm, online training will be held for short-term observers, as continuation to the training seminars started last weekend in Skopje.

On Friday, October 15, starting at 12:30 pm, CIVIL will present the Report from the long-term monitoring and recommendations of the organization, live, starting at 12:30 pm on the organization’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Exclusive findings from CIVIL’s monitoring will be presented at the presentation of the Report, including also the scandalous abuses of and within civil society organizations.

Tomorrow, Thursday, October 16, in Election Report, CIVIL will present the plan for monitoring the media activities on Election Day, October 17, as well as during the previous day during election silence, October 16, when persons in self-isolation, the ill and incapacitated, detainees and persons serving prison sentences vote.

Even though it seems in vain, CIVIL once again calls on political parties to refrain from conducting a black campaign, because it can only cause harm, and a long-term one, and does not benefit anyone.

Translation: N. Cvetkovska