MPs in parliament failed to reach an agreement on amendments to the Electoral Code, which is part of the Reform Agenda. The financial infusion of 4.2 million euros from EU funds depended on this amendment.

Instead of compromise, political parties continue to accuse each other of responsibility for blocking electoral reform. On July 15, North Macedonia was supposed to submit a report to the EU on the reforms it has carried out, with the priority being the amendment of the Electoral Code.

Mickovski: The opposition, out of fear of defeat, blocks the Electoral Code
The biggest clashes and diametrically opposed positions between the ruling and opposition parties on the amendment of the Electoral Code were related to the diaspora voting, the number of electoral units and the financing of smaller parties. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski from the VMRO-DPMNE has been insistent on the possibility for the diaspora to vote electronically or by mail: “The government’s goal is to bring the diaspora back home, but this would not be possible if they were prevented from voting in the elections,” Mickoski said. Mickoski accused the opposition parties SDSM and Levica of having radicalized their positions on the Electoral Code and the possibility of diaspora voting out of fear of losing in the upcoming elections.

SDSM: We will not allow electoral fraud
The opposition Social Democrats believe that electronic or postal voting without strict institutional verification makes it impossible to determine the identity of the voter and protect the secrecy of the vote. "This is a direct circumvention of the electoral rules. SDSM will not allow electoral fraud, we have an obligation to protect the vote and we do not accept the games of VMRO-DPMNE," they say from SDSM.

According to the opposition party Levica, electronic voting from the diaspora has never been part of the ODIHR recommendations, nor the most important issue for Macedonia's democracy, as VMRO-DPMNE claims.

"An electoral unit and a new Electoral Code were the reason the Working Group was formed in the first place. An electoral unit is not a new Left demand invented overnight, it has been talked about for decades," the opposition party Levica declares.

The same procedure should apply to all elections.
Meanwhile, the DUI has also called for a change in the electoral model, declaring itself in favor of an electoral unit with open lists and an electoral threshold of 5 percent. This party says that this position has been consistently maintained during the negotiations on the Electoral Code.

The Albanian League agrees with the diaspora voting, whether by mail or electronically. However, their request is that the same procedure also applies to local elections. "In presidential and parliamentary elections, the diaspora can vote, but not in local elections. I do not know why diasporas are not allowed to vote in local elections. They are citizens of this country, they have the constitutional right to vote, and the state has a duty to create opportunities for citizens to exercise their right to vote," says Elmi Aziri from the Albanian League.

After unsuccessful talks on changing the Electoral Code, Prime Minister Mickovski says that the government remains focused on fulfilling its mandate until 2028, while the opposition believes that the only solution to the current political situation is early parliamentary elections./DW