NEWS OF THE DAY: Parliament elects new members of the State Election Commission
The Parliament at today’s 31st session, with 95 votes “in favour” and without any against or abstentions, adopted the decision for election of the president and members of the State Election Commission in accordance to the draft decision that previously today at a session was adopted by the parliamentary Committee on Elections and Appointments.
Aleksandar Dashtevski, supported by VMRO-DPMNE, was elected President of the SEC. Dashtevski is a former member of the SEC (2012 – 2016), and is to replace Oliver Derkovski. His last function was President of the Commission for Protection against Discrimination.
Ditmire Shehu from DUI was elected Vice President of the SEC, who was in this position until now. Boris Kondarko and Radica Risteska, current members of the SEC, as well as Oliver Ristovski, former Deputy Minister of Justice, all three supported by SDSM, were elected members of the SEC. Boban Stojanoski, lawyer in Parliament, was elected as second member of the SEC supported by VMRO-DPMNE, whereas Krener Loga, lawyer from Struga, was elected at the proposal of the Alliance of Albanians, which is in coalition with Alternativa.
Before the election of the old-new composition of the SEC that was unanimously voted on at the plenary session and with a two-thirds majority, MP Kastriot Rexhepi from the Besa Movement was the only one who appeared for a debate. In his address, he outlined that according to the election results in 2020 there is nothing disputable and that they have already signed the draft composition of the SEC, and at the same time advocated for a change to the model for election of members of the State Election Commission according to the recommendations of the OSCE and for its professionalization.
CIVIL ACTIVITIES
The State Election Commission cannot be run by a man from the front lines of Gruevski’s regime
CIVIL alerts the public and reminds the Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia that they have an obligation to make decisions that protect the interests of the citizens.
Today’s parliamentary session for determining the new composition of the State Election Commission that is to receive a two-thirds majority, has Aleksandar Dashtevski, VMRO-DPMNE’s proposal, on the list for president of this exceptionally important institution.
It is known that Dashtevski is a former President of the Commission for Protection against Discrimination. While he ran this institution, the Commission was dead, with the exception of cases when discriminatory and criminal actions of Gruevski’s regime were supposed to be defended. Dashtevski is a man from the front lines of Gruevski’s regime.
SCAN: Nationalism, that dark spot (part two)
Hate speech is not freedom of expression
Freedom of speech is a globally accepted principle that supports the freedom of the individual and community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship or legal sanction. The term “freedom of expression” is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any action of seeking, receiving and conveying information or ideas, regardless of the medium used.
FLASH NEWS
Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic informed Prime Minister Zaev that starting from Thursday, January 14, Republic of Serbia will cancel the mandatory PCR test for entry to Serbia for the citizens of North Macedonia, thus again providing reciprocity and mutual unhindered communication between citizens of the two countries.
Minister of Education and Science Mila Carovska, representatives of the Bureau for Development of Education and professors from all levels of education in the area of arts: primary, secondary and higher, today participated in an online debate that is part of the public debate on the draft concept for primary education.
In the past 24 hours, it has been reported that in the COVID centers in the hospitals throughout the country, a total of 403 positive and suspected coronavirus patients are being treated, announced the Ministry of Health.
The drug “Ivermectin” starting from today is available for citizens in pharmacies, informs the Ministry of Health. This medicine can be obtained only with a doctor’s prescription from a family doctor or doctor specialist.
translation: N. Cvetkovska
