The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission to North Macedonia for the 24 April presidential election and the 8 May parliamentary elections, following an invitation from the national authorities.
The mission is led by Ambassador Jillian Stirk and is composed of 12 international experts from 12 OSCE states, based in Skopje. 20 long-term observers will be deployed throughout the country from 27 March. ODIHR has also requested 300 short-term observers, to arrive shortly before election day.
The mission will assess the elections for their compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards, as well as with national legislation. Observers will follow voter registration, candidate registration, campaign activities, the work of the election administration and relevant state bodies, implementation of the legislative framework, political and campaign finance and the resolution of election disputes. They will also assess the implementation of prior ODIHR recommendations. Comprehensive monitoring of the media is an integral part of the observation mission.
Throughout its observation, the mission will hold meetings with representatives of the national authorities, and political parties, as well as with the judiciary, civil society and the media.
The ODIHR mission will combine efforts on both election days with delegations from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the European Parliament, as well as with a delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) for the parliamentary elections. They will observe the opening of polling stations, voting, the counting of ballots and the tabulation of results.
An interim report will be published to update the public and the media during the course of the observation, and a statement of preliminary findings will be presented at press conferences on the day after each election. A final report summing up the observation of the entire electoral process will be published some months after the election process has ended.
