In CIVIL Media’s latest article in the section DIRECT, Xhabir Deralla speaks about the shortcomings of the legal regulation with which some citizens are unable to use their right to vote.

Deralla, CIVIL: It is very important to remember and for once to respect the principle that the state is the one that has the obligation towards the voters to fulfill and respect their rights and to enable maximum conditions for respect and practicing the right to vote. It is a fundamental right that the state is obligated to regulate, but also to enable application of laws related to the matter.

In the past period, we noticed many shortcomings in the Electoral Code, primarily, in terms of whether and how much the citizens can vote in certain circumstances. We already spoke about that those who will find themselves out of the country on September 30 will not be able to use their right to vote, because they have not regulated their stay in that country. In the neighboring countries, that is regulated with one or two lines in the laws, and the people are enabled to practice their right to vote with just one telephone call and with just one letter to the consular offices of the state. That was not done.

We now have a situation where people who are sick, that is, those who don’t know that they will get sick on election day, will not be able to use their right if they don’t announce their need to vote at home seven days before. Meaning that if you get sick five days before the referendum you will not be able to vote at home, but that you will have to figure out how to go to the polling station to vote.

We urge the state institutions, the SEC, the Parliament, to implement some urgent measures that are within the framework of the law, and to ensure voting of all citizens with a right to vote. To ensure this as soon and as efficient as possible, because according to the Constitutions they have an obligation to provide conditions for voting of all citizens with the right to vote.

It is not acceptable to have citizens who because of shortcomings in the Electoral Code, because of treating voters as numbers and not as people, we have a situation where people will not be able to vote. This is a problem that has to be regulated at the institutional level, in order to respect the basic human right, the right to vote.

Text editing and camera: Dehran Muratov
Editing: Аrian Mehmeti
Photography: Kiril Mihailov

Translation: Natasa Cvetkovska