North Macedonia presidential election 2019: ODIHR observation mission final report

Following the presidential election in North Macedonia on 21 April and 5 May 2019, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has published its final report. The election was overall well-administered, despite some technical challenges. Voters were able to make an informed choice between competing political alternatives, with fundamental freedoms of assembly and expression respected in the campaign. Some regulatory gaps in the legal framework were partially addressed through cross-party political agreements, but a previously launched electoral legislation reform is still awaiting finalization.

Key recommendations include:

• Further reviewing electoral legislation, including campaign and media rules, to ensure equal opportunities for candidates, and reviewing the need for the turnout threshold, to minimize the risk of failed elections;

• Adopting legal provisions which clearly establish the composition and length of mandate of a permanent State Election Commission (SEC), and employ essential personnel of the SEC secretariat on a permanent basis;

• Continuing updating and harmonizing all pertinent state registers and databases to provide an accurate basis for the voter register;

• Continuing efforts to counter any form of pressure on public-sector employees, including clear public statements and written instructions by senior state officials that such pressure will not be tolerated and that no citizen should fear any negative consequences as a result of supporting or not supporting any candidate or party;

• Mandating the State Audit Office (SAO) to review interim reports and to promptly publish its findings, and clarifying rules on campaign finance reporting; granting investigatory powers to the SAO to review compliance with campaign finance rules, and supplying the SAO with adequate resources and technical expertise to fulfil these tasks;

• Reviewing the legal framework to eliminate undue restrictions on the right to lodge electoral complaints and appeals, and to provide for effective legal remedies; decisions and actions of the election administration should be reasoned and subject to timely and effective judicial review.

ODIHR deployed an Election Observation Mission (EOM) on 10 March 2019 to observe the presidential election. All 57 participating States across the OSCE region have formally committed to following up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations.