Novakoski: The dissolution of Parliament on October 17, is within the legal deadline!

Today SDSM submitted an Initiative for dissolution of Parliament, as the legal deadlines for announcing the elections that are scheduled for December 11 have started running, in accordance to the annex of the Przino Agreement. According to the coordinator of the parliamentary group of SDSM, Goran Sugareski, all debatable issues regarding the laws, which the Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) is demanding, along with the agreement on electoral units can be solved in one day. According to CIVIL’s expert, former President of the SEC Aleksandar Novakoski, conditions have been created, but “there is still much work needed in order to have fair and democratic elections”…

MP Pavle Trajanov (Democratic Union) also submitted an Initiative for dissolution of Parliament.

The President of the Assembly, Trajko Veljanovski, as his cabinet has announced, has put the item on the dissolution of Parliament on the agenda of the session scheduled for Monday (17.10.2016).

“President Veljanovski, fully respecting the undertaken obligations, in accordance with the talks of the four biggest parties with the mediation of the international community, is informing the public that the items regarding the dissolution of the eighth composition of Parliament will be added to the agenda of the session scheduled for October 17, following the item on the adoption of the Budget for 2017”, was stated by the cabinet of Veljanovski.

However, views of legal experts are divided in terms of the legality of the decision to dissolve Parliament five days later, on October 17. According to Constitutional Law Professor, Svetomir Skaric, such decision threatens the constitutionality of the entire election process.

“The Constitution will be violated if Parliament does not dissolve until October 12. The highest legal act provides a deadline of 60 days, and this cannot be changed by law, even when it concerns early elections”, stated Skaric for the media.

CIVIL’s expert, former President of the SEC, Aleksandar Novakoski, on the other hand, underlines that the dissolution of Parliament on October 17 is within the constitutional deadline for early elections.

“The dissolution of Parliament on October 17 is within the constitutional deadline for early elections, where the maximum number is 60, and the minimum – 45 days until the day of the elections. There is enough time to make all the final preparations and necessary education on electoral programs, according to the Electoral Code”, stated Novakoski for CIVIL Media.

He believes that all preconditions have been fulfilled for holding credible elections.

“A new commission has been formed, I would not like to say how adequate the cadre is, but I do know that the list of the four parties was accepted, according to their methodology. Meaning that the SEC revised the Voters Register based on a determined methodology from the four political parties. They accepted this decision, which means, that at least the majority that will participate in the electoral process agrees with that decision. Now it is up to the election administration on how it will carry out the preparations, from which it will depend entirely on whether the campaign will be respected, whether the financing will be respected…We are far from being able to say what the election process will be like, but preconditions have been created. First, there is a technical government, for the first time for conducting elections, the opposition is controlling several significant ministries, hence, yes, there are preconditions, but in order to have and reach fair and democratic elections, there is much, much work”, stresses Novakoski.

According to him, the implementation of credible elections will depend on the attitude of all subjects – participants in the election process.

“The credibility of the election process will depend on what happens in the period starting as of today and extending to the procedure for appeals. We need more than peaceful and technically well-conducted elections, much more in order to receive a good evaluation”, says Novakoski for CIVIL Media.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn is expected to arrive in Macedonia on Friday, who according to the announcements is to meet with the leaders of the four political parties, signatory to the Przino Agreement and with representatives of the Special Prosecutor’s Office. The messages of European diplomats so far have been to hold credible elections on the agreed date.

Monika Taleska