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Josif
Lukovski, President of State Election Commission
Election process in Macedonia
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Dear Conference Participants,
My presentation concerns the organization of
elections in the Republic of Macedonia and I will try to provide
you with a general outline of the bodies and rules involved in our
elections. But first a few general thoughts.
Macedonia cannot be transformed into a democratic
system over night by a single decree or by political influence.
It is a very complex transition we are going through and it will
take time. We will only succeed if the process will be peaceful
and civilized and if the major actors will observe principles of
social and political justice. We will have to be thorough and original
in our approach to changes and not necessarily rely only on copies
of other's experiences. There are stable elements in our democracy.
A multi-party system has been a reality in Macedonia for more than
a decade. Coalition building between parties has been regular and
always involved inclusion of at least one Albanian ethnic party.
The first presidential election in the Republic
of Macedonia after independence was conducted in October 1994. The
second presidential elections were held in October/November 1999.
Candidates wanting to run for president must
collect at least 10,000 signatures or be nominated by at least 30
representatives. If a candidate receive more than 50 percent of
the votes, he/she will win. If none of the candidates receive more
than 50 percent, a second round of elections will be held, and this
time the candidate who wins the most votes and more than 50 percent
will win the presidency.
The State Election Commission determines whether
the lists of candidates are in accordance with regulations authorized
by the "Republic of Macedonia Presidential Elections Law" and the
State Election Commission also decides the order of candidates on
the list by drawing lots.
The costs of presidential election campaign
should not be higher than 15.00 dinars per voter registered in final
voter register. The election results must be announced 3 days after
the Election Day.
The first parliamentary election was conducted
in 1990. The law regulating the election was "Law on Election and
Removal of Representatives and Committee Members" from 1990. Bodies
conducting elections were (and still are) the State Election Commission
and Election Commissions/Boards in 120 election "units".
The second parliamentary election was held in
October 1994, based on already mentioned "Law on Election and Removal
of Representatives and Committee Members" from 1990. A third parliamentary
election was held in 1998.
The Assembly is composed of 120 representatives,
who are elected for a period of 4 years. Out of this number, 85
are elected according to the majority principle in 85 constituencies,
and 35 according to the proportional principle (the territory of
the Republic of Macedonia representing one constituency).
There are 1,572,976 voters registered in the
General Elections Roll for the election of Representatives to the
Assembly, assigned in 85 constituencies, in 2,973 polling stations.
The voting for the representatives according to the majority principle
can be conducted in two electoral rounds, whereas the voting according
to the proportional principle ends in the first round.
I will just make a few comments on the mix of
the majority and proportional principles. The majority principle
is used for the election of 85 representatives as already mentioned.
In the first round, the candidate who wins the majority of votes
(more than 50 percent of the votes cast) will be elected, providing
that the number of votes won is not less than 1/3 of the total number
of registered voters in the constituency. The voting will be repeated
in a second round if no candidates won the required number of votes
in the first round. The two most successful candidates from the
first round will participate in the second round. The proportional
principle will be applied when electing 35 representatives. The
d'Hondt formula is applied when establishing the result of the vote.
Only candidate lists, which have won at least 5 percent of the votes
cast, may be represented in the Assembly.
Election commissions are formed for each election
unit and consist of a president and 4 members and their deputies.
President and deputies are judges in basic courts. Two members and
their deputies are suggested by opposition parties winning at least
5% of votes and two members are chosen by the political parties
in power.
Polling station committees should be formed
in every polling station and they consist of a president, 4 members
and their deputies.
Resources for the conduct of elections are provided
from the budget of Republic of Macedonia and are at the disposal
of the State Election Commission.
Protection of voter rights procedure is important.
Complaints or objections are submitted directly to the appropriate
election authorities: the State Election Commission and the Supreme
Court of the Republic of Macedonia.
Representatives of international organizations
and associations as well as domestic registered organizations and
associations for protection of human rights and freedom can supervise
the election process.
Finally, just a small note on the local elections
in the Republic of Macedonia. Local elections from 1996 and 2000
were conducted in accordance with the "Law on Local Elections".
In accordance with the "Law on Territorial Organization of the Republic
of Macedonia and Determination of Local Self-management Units",
the Republic is divided into 123 municipalities and the City of
Skopje. The smallest municipality has 429 registered voters and
the largest has 100,000 registered voters.
Thank You.
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