Weekly analysis: Early parliamentary elections in Macedonia end, but the problems remain!

The election process for the early parliamentary elections, which according to the Przino Agreement was to put an end to the long-term political crisis in Macedonia, has completed with the election rerun in polling station 2011 in the Municipality of Tearce. However, the results of the voting, 245 against 149 votes in favor of SDSM and the coallition “For Life in Macedonia”, with a turnout of 402 voters of the total number of 714 registered  citizens with a right to vote, do not change the political constellation in terms of the seats won in the new parliament (VMRO-DPMNE – 51 and SDSM – 49, DUI -10, BESA – 5, DPA – 2 and the Albanian Alliance – 3).

The dillema remains in regards to who will be given the mandate to form the new government, VMRO-DPMNE or SDSM?! Having in consideration the fact that neither of the two parties, that is, coalitions, does not have a sufficient number of MP’s to form a government, it is clear that there will be new turbulences on the unsteady, Macedonian political scene. The problems with the elections are not only not solved, but have rather deepened.

Tearce also confirmed: Macedonia is far from fair and credible elections!

The rerun inTearce is confirmation that Macedonia, even after 25 years of independence, ten years of ruling by VMRO-DPMNE and two years of intense negotiations at roundatables with the leaders of SDSM, DUI and DPA and the mandatory presence and channeling of activities by mediators from the EU and the US, is far from being a democracy that has the capacity to conduct peaceful, fair, democratic and credible elections. The election results of the rerun in Tearce, 91:87 in the first round, in favor of VMRO-DPMNE and 149:245 after the rerun, in favor of SDSM; the problem with the malfunctiong of the UV lamps, the delay at the beggining of the voting and the interruption during the voting; the vote buying confirmed by the MOI that involved higher amounts of several hundred euros per vote; the increased presence of police units in only one polling station and of party soldiers from several municipalities “marching” with their vehicles through Tearce to stimulate and control the abstinence from voting, in conditions when VMRO-DPMNE announced that it does not recognize the court decisions...shows that all of this is a Macedonian electoral folklore, known from many of the previous election processes. The irregularities that were determined in just one polling station where there was a rerun make you think of just how many irregularities there actually were acorss the entire territory of Macedonia!? Hence, credible elections were not held, despite the efforts of the Przino Agreement.

The SEC did not even clear up the Voters Register

The State Election Commission (SEC) decided to implement early parliamentary elections, with a Voters Register that suffered chaos instead of revision, something to which CIVIL – Center for Freedom was contnously pointing out to. There were months of work, campaigns realized, money was spent, citizens were presnted with information that they are committeed to solving this problem, one of the key preconditions for credible elections.

The elections ended, while hundreds of citizens were unable to find themselves on the Voters Register. The Voters Register was full of names of deceased people, with “phantoms” who “live” on unexisting addresses or on addresses of families, whose actual tenants and owners are deleted. Many citizens submited their applications and were accordingly registered by the SEC services, but many, many other citizens in this country were deprived of their right. CIVIL handed the applications of the many deprived citizens “in person” to the SEC, but…

The SEC closed the Voters Register, though some citizens did not realize their constitutional and lawful right, among which were public figures who were deleted for unknown reasons. This was not the goal of the Przino Agreement.

Special Prosecutor’s Office is still struggling to extend the mandate

The Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) formed in accordance to the Przino Agreement, is working professionally and thoroughly on revealing the abuses that are part of the “Wiretapping” affair. Many criminal cases have been opened, prominent politicians of the still ruling VMRO-DPMNE accused, but the recordings of the “bombs” are not enough evidence for the Macedonian judiciary!? The SPO’s mandate has not been extended, nor has the law on witness protection been passed, which was one of the key requirements of this body that is supposed to reveal all the abuses and crimes that the politicians in power have been carrying out in the past years, imposing immense damage to state budget, impoverishing the citizens. Nevertheless, the work of the SPO gives hope that there is hope for consistent realization of the Przino Agreement.

The monitoring of the Ad-hoc body ends, the media are once again on the government “track|

The Ad-hoc body formed in accordance to the Przino Agreement, was supposed to provide balanced information to the public during the 100 days prior to the early parliamentary elections that were held on December 11. The intention was for this regulatory body to give visible results in the captivated media scene, in which there were two members selected from each of the largest political parties of the Macedonian bloc; VMRO-DPMNE and SDSM, with the fifth member bieng– an independent journalist, ethnic Albanian.

The elections ended, the monitoring is over, but there has been no infringement against any media! With the appointment of Santa Argirova as editor of the news program of MRTV (as the proposal of SDSM), slight progress was actually achieved in terms of the balanced information, though visible changes in the media sphere did not happen.

Should there be a new agreement for overcoming the crisis?

At the end of these elections, Macedonia is again faced with an even greater challenge: will it remain a captive of the already seen policies of the current government or will it open a new page of democracy, with policies that promised and created apace for a civil concept?

What is clear at this moment is that constitution of a new composition of Parliament follows next, after the SEC submits the certificates for mandates to the current president, Trajko Veljanovski.

Моnika Taleska