The early parliamentary elections in North Macedonia were well administered amid necessary COVID-19 related adjustments but persistent shortcomings and instability in the legal framework underlined the need for comprehensive reform in advance of future elections. These are some of the main conclusions after the 15 July 2020 elections, as detailed in the final report published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The report offers 32 recommendations to improve the conduct of elections and increase the transparency of and public confidence in the electoral process.

Recommendations

Key recommendations include:

• Reviewing and revising the Electoral Code – in a public procedure, following a broad, inclusive and timely consultation - in order to ensure harmonization with other relevant laws and compliance with OSCE commitments and international standards
• Establishing a permanent composition and mandate for the State Election Commission and providing clear and transparent procedures for appointing its commissioners
• Clarifying and consolidating legal instructions on voter registration procedures, to correspond to the functionality of the central population register
• Providing the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption and the State Audit Office with adequate human and financial resources to effectively carry out their mandates during the electoral period
• Reconsidering regulations on paid political advertisements in the media, in order to allow unimpeded access to the media on a non-discriminatory basis
• Implementing reforms to promote the political independence of the public broadcaster, including reducing its dependence on the state budget and changing the procedure for selection and appointment of the members of the Programmatic Council
• Eliminating undue restrictions on the right to lodge electoral complaints and appeals in order to provide effective legal remedies

ODIHR deployed a Special Election Assessment Mission on 22 June 2020 to observe the early parliamentary elections in North Macedonia.

All 57 countries across the OSCE region have formally committed to follow up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations.