Elections is completed, the responsible for the electoral list is still unknown

Accusations for concessions on the electoral list are not stopping. A week after the end of elections, yet is unknown whether State Election Commission (SEC) or Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) are responsible for that some citizens couldn’t find themselves on electoral lists, or were on the lists of parliamentary elections, but weren’t on the presidential, and the other way around.

Ixhet Memeti the ombudsman on the interview on Saturday for the Radio Free Europe said that SEC was the only institution which is competent for preparing a qualitative electoral list, but didn’t do that.

“I’ll tell you a characteristic case. On the first electoral round for presidential elections  someone voted in one village, on the second round, we found the voter on the list of another village, which creates doubts and uncertainty for the voters that the country, respectively organs of implementing the elections, accurately SEC, which is obligated to prepare a qualitative electoral lists, didn't do that”, said Memeti in an interview.

Nikola Rilkovski, president of SEC says that their hands are tied about the electoral list.

“Our hands are tied. We can react only with writings, when someone comes to complain, then we make corrections. Otherwise, the list arrives from Ministry of Interior, we send it to the Statistical Office, where the technical and analytical process is being made. From the record books we list the deceased and delete them immediately. From the Ministry of Justice, comes the list of convicted people, while from the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy we retrieves information for internally displaced people.

Court informs us about people able to work. We do not have power verification of these lists. If we are top, it should allow us to work from beginning to end, but that is not happening”, says Rillkovski.

The deputy head of the Ministry of Interior, Ivo Kotevski, is clear.  When we asked him about electoral list, he answered us - ask SEC.

"Responsibility for electoral list is clear - said SEC and the ombudsman. In law there is no credible uncertainties. Citizens can electronically check are they on the electoral list on the website of the SEC, then it is their responsibility", said Kotevski.

Section 41 of the Electoral Law says that the electoral list guides SEC. On the other hand, on section 43 Ministry of interior submits to SEC data for citizens who are over 18 years and have a valid ID card, people shifting from one to another jurisdiction, those who have changed their name or surname, or who have lost citizenship, who are or temporary work abroad, etc.

The question still remains open, whether the data are accurate (MUP) and there is uncertainty in the law who is responsible why many people didn’t had the right to vote.