Newsroom
Election day calm but irregularities go unaddressed, observers say in Skopje
SKOPJE 11 April 2005
SKOPJE, 11 April 2005 - The delayed second round of the municipal elections held on 10 April in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia took place in a generally calm atmosphere, but with low voter participation and cases of electoral malpractice again witnessed by observers in a number of municipalities. Indications of ballot box stuffing, group voting and voters not signing the voter list were observed in numerous cases. Many of these irregularities were observed in previous rounds, and the authorities did not take adequate measures to address them and to safeguard the integrity of the process.
These were the conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) and representatives from the Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe. Some 80 observers from 24 countries observed the delayed second round municipal elections, which were held in nine municipalities, including the City of Skopje, and re-runs which were partially conducted in 11 additional municipalities.
"Serious attention by the authorities and a commensurate level of political will are now necessary to address shortcomings identified throughout the observation mission. The OSCE/ODIHR will release its Final Report and recommendations in the coming weeks" said Gerald Mitchell, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Department.
"Those newly elected mayors and councilors are to be congratulated and wished well in the tasks they now have ahead. But the authorities must deal with the highlighted irregularities to increase confidence in the process", said Keith Whitmore, head of the Council of Europe's Congress delegation.
Following the voting on 27 March, the Municipal Election Commissions (MECs) rejected most complaints, and 76 appeals were made to the Supreme Court. As previously, the majority were dismissed on procedural grounds regardless of the gravity of the alleged irregularities. In many cases, neither the MECs nor the Supreme Court acted to remedy obvious cases of electoral irregularities.
The election preparations were adequate, despite the late resolution of complaints and appeals and decisions about subsequent re-runs. The State Election Commission (SEC) remained reluctant to remove MEC Chairpersons who performed poorly during previous rounds. Some changes were made in the composition of Electoral Boards where the results were invalidated, generally on the initiative of the MECs. No additional training to address procedural errors was undertaken between rounds.
The period between the rounds was marked by an increased lack of engagement in the process among both party activists and the public. There was little campaign activity, apart from some get-out-the-vote efforts. The atmosphere was one of general mistrust and decreased confidence in the electoral process.
On 30 March, the candidate of the ruling coalition and incumbent mayor withdrew from the City of Skopje contest, even though his name remained on the ballot in accordance with the relevant legislative provisions. The main ethnic Albanian opposition coalition continued its general boycott of the elections.
On election day, observers noted a persistent problem of electoral malpractice in certain municipalities, including a departure from standard procedures and safeguards.
In Kumanovo, the Albanian-language version of the ballot paper included a printing mistake which might have created some confusion among voters.
Counting was generally well conducted in most municipalities where observed, although in some cases there were procedural deficiencies.
These were the conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) and representatives from the Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe. Some 80 observers from 24 countries observed the delayed second round municipal elections, which were held in nine municipalities, including the City of Skopje, and re-runs which were partially conducted in 11 additional municipalities.
"Serious attention by the authorities and a commensurate level of political will are now necessary to address shortcomings identified throughout the observation mission. The OSCE/ODIHR will release its Final Report and recommendations in the coming weeks" said Gerald Mitchell, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Department.
"Those newly elected mayors and councilors are to be congratulated and wished well in the tasks they now have ahead. But the authorities must deal with the highlighted irregularities to increase confidence in the process", said Keith Whitmore, head of the Council of Europe's Congress delegation.
Following the voting on 27 March, the Municipal Election Commissions (MECs) rejected most complaints, and 76 appeals were made to the Supreme Court. As previously, the majority were dismissed on procedural grounds regardless of the gravity of the alleged irregularities. In many cases, neither the MECs nor the Supreme Court acted to remedy obvious cases of electoral irregularities.
The election preparations were adequate, despite the late resolution of complaints and appeals and decisions about subsequent re-runs. The State Election Commission (SEC) remained reluctant to remove MEC Chairpersons who performed poorly during previous rounds. Some changes were made in the composition of Electoral Boards where the results were invalidated, generally on the initiative of the MECs. No additional training to address procedural errors was undertaken between rounds.
The period between the rounds was marked by an increased lack of engagement in the process among both party activists and the public. There was little campaign activity, apart from some get-out-the-vote efforts. The atmosphere was one of general mistrust and decreased confidence in the electoral process.
On 30 March, the candidate of the ruling coalition and incumbent mayor withdrew from the City of Skopje contest, even though his name remained on the ballot in accordance with the relevant legislative provisions. The main ethnic Albanian opposition coalition continued its general boycott of the elections.
On election day, observers noted a persistent problem of electoral malpractice in certain municipalities, including a departure from standard procedures and safeguards.
In Kumanovo, the Albanian-language version of the ballot paper included a printing mistake which might have created some confusion among voters.
Counting was generally well conducted in most municipalities where observed, although in some cases there were procedural deficiencies.