CIVIL’s second report at 3:00 p.m., reveals irregularities and problems on the ground, but also notes improved cooperation of election boards.

The second online press conference, which lasted 45 minutes, included presentations of the latest findings from the election monitoring in both Macedonian and Albanian, as well as discussion on several topics related to electoral irregularities.

From the ground came news that an elderly woman was detained for photographing the ballot. The incident occurred at polling station 2966, in “Brakja Ramiz i Hamid” Primary School in Shuto Orizari, around 2:40 p.m.

Violation of the secrecy of voting

Breach of voting secrecy was reported at polling station 1201, in the village of Sazdevo, Krushevo, where a member of the election board was announcing voters’ names aloud, despite previous instructions from the Municipal Election Commission on this matter.

At polling station 1070, in the School Dispensary in Kumanovo, the booth for voters with special needs was placed near the entrance door in the polling station, allowing anyone standing by the door to see how the voter marked the ballot.

Furthermore, the physical setup at polling station 1203, in the village of Borino, Krushevo, according to CIVIL’s report, was inadequate. More specifically, the voting booths were placed close together and did not ensure voting privacy.

Pressure and violation of election silence

At two locations in the municipality of Centar, near the Parliament and at “Mlin Balkan”, there were campaign materials for a mayoral candidate, scattered on Saturday, which constitutes a violation of the election silence.

At polling station 2813, in the “Dimitar Miladinov” Primary School in Centar, an observer from a political party was recording data in a political party notebook marked with the party’s logo.

According to CIVIL’s sources from the ground, in the village of Jakrenovo, Krushevo, in recent days there had been multiple visits from prominent members of a political party, which the residents from this place reported as major pressure.

At polling station 2961, in the “26 July” Primary School in Shuto Orizari, the police were called due to disruption of the voting process. The interruption lasted for 10 minutes, after the companion of an illiterate voter loudly instructed which number to circle.

Election silence was also violated by an online news portal that published an image of a ballot showing a marked candidate.

Deceased persons in the Voters Register

Reports of deceased persons appearing in the Voters Register were received from nearly all municipalities.

A confidential source of CIVIL reported that at polling station 2479 in Gazi Baba, with 399 registered voters, as many as 20 people are deceased , which is 5% of all voters at that polling station.

At polling station 1924, in “Istikbal” Primary School, Tetovo, members of the election commission commented that deceased persons were still listed in the Voters Register, as was the case in the first round of elections.

Improper work of the election administration

CIVIL representatives praised the election boards for the fact that, unlike the first round, far fewer cases of obstruction of the work of the observers were recorded, but they were not completely ruled out.

Hence, at polling station 2688, in “Ljuben Lape” Primary School, Aerodrom, a member of the election board recorded the ID number and took a photo of CIVIL observer’s authorization. When told that this was not allowed, the board members replied that they know very well what they are supposed to record.

Inaccessible polling stations

There were multiple reports of polling stations being inaccessible. At polling stations 1054 in the House of Culture “Trajko Prokopiev” and 1044 “Krste Misirkov” Primary School, there was no easy access to the voting booths for persons with disabilities.

At polling station 2839, in the “Kocho Racin” Workers University, Centar, Skopje, a voter with a disability was unable to exercise her right to vote because the polling station was located on an upper floor accessible only by stairs, there was no lift for persons with disabilities.

Issues with fingerprint devices were reported in several locations across the country, though less frequently than in the first round of elections.

Positive examples of overcoming technical problems with the fingerprint devices

In Krushevo, at polling station 1187/1, in “Nikola Karev” Primary School, a voter who appeared on the Voters Register could not be registered, even though there had been several attempts. The president of the Municipal Election Commission arrived, and after a suggestion made to use the voter’s middle finger for scanning, the verification was successful and the voter was able to vote.

At polling station 2758, in the “Srnichka” Kindergarten – Bambi facility, Aerodrom, there were brief delays due to problems with the fingerprint devices, but the problems were resolved quickly and voting continued smoothly. Also, there were no posted instructions (posters) on the voting procedure at this station.

Other minor irregularities

Several minor irregularities, mostly technical and administrative, were reported in the municipality of Aerodrom. Among else, in Aerodrom, at polling station 2673, in the “Brakja Miladinovci” Primary School, the voting booth designated for voters with disabilities was not in use, namely, it was inside the classroom, but had been folded and moved aside.