DEADLINE FOR APPLYING FOR SHORT-TERM OBSERVERS ENDS TOMORROW AT 5.00 PM
Tomorrow, September 30, at 5.00 pm, the deadline expires for applying by all those who are interested to become short-term observers of CIVIL.
Competition is high, the applications are of high quality, hence, those responsible for selection have a really difficult task of selecting the best ones. All those who have applied will receive a reply on October 3. More information and links in the textual part of the Election Report that will be published immediately after this video edition.
CAMPAIGN: LIFE AND DEATH BATTLE
At the very beginning, it can be concluded that the election campaign is exceptionally dynamic, with a fierce pace for all participants in the election race. It can be concluded that all resources of political parties have been included in the election campaign, starting from municipal party committees to leaders and senior political party officials. It is obvious that the local elections have again become as if a life and death battle is being led – politically of course.
From podiums across the country, in the first two days of the campaign, a sharp vocabulary is heard, but also witticisms and mockery at the expense of political opponents. Some are witty, some are not. All in all, in the first two days we are witnessing yet another local election campaign that is dominated by politicians and leaders at the national level.
CIVIL’s recommendation remains for reducing the presence of senior government officials, heads of state institutions, party leaders who are not in the election race for local government, since it is simply about local elections.
LINGUISTIC ERROR
Mockery and criticism, but also hate speech are noted on the social networks and in some media outlets, due to the linguistic error of the main slogan of VMRO-DPMNE’s campaign, “Create a new future”. According to linguists, it is a matter of an error. The commanding form of the verb created is create. Criticism is welcome on all topics, but CIVIL calls for abstaining from hate speech on the social networks.
INSULTS, SLANDER AND HATE SPEECH IN THE MEDIA
Despite all professional standards and ethics, some media that are known as notorious creators and distributors of disinformation and hate speech, continue with the black campaign, which does not lack neither attacks or discrediting at the expense of civil society organizations and professional media.
Such is the case with the show “What’s not clear” on Alfa TV on September 27, where Dragan Pavlovic – Latas was a guest, who expressed notorious untruths and gross insults at the expense of civil society organizations and the media.
CIVIL calls on the relevant institutions and self-regulating bodies to take appropriate steps for protection of human rights and dignity of people who work in civil society organizations.
This is not the only case where systematic and orchestrated black campaign is noted against civil society, and which is gaining in intensity precisely in a period when important processes and events are taking place in the country.
ABUSE OF CHILDREN
Several cases of political abuse of children have been noted in the first two days, in online campaigns with photos and videos in the production of the parties – Democratic Union for Integration and the Alliance for Albanians.
The video of DUI’s leader where he addresses a child, along with the sponsored content on Facebook of the candidate for Mayor of Gostivar, Nevzat Bejta, are political abuse of children.
It is CIVIL’s strong recommendation that political parties, their members and supporters not involve children in political campaigns. Let us remind of Article 12 paragraph 4 of the Law on Protection of Children, which reads: “Abuse of children for political and religious organizing and action is prohibited”.
This, according to our legal experts, means general prohibition of using children in any form of political action, including also a political election campaign
CIVIL’S LEGAL EXPERTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR ANSWERING ALL QUESTIONS
The legal experts within CIVIL’s Monitoring Team are available to answer questions, primarily, from citizens, as well as other stakeholders, such as civil society organizations, independent candidates, institutions and political parties.
From the questions that arrived at the address of the organization, we single out the one from a citizen who wrote to us:
An independent candidate list wants to nominate a person for an observer, who is already elected in an election board. Will that person’s term as a member of an election board end if that person is registered as an observer, or is that not possible?
Our legal team presented the following reply:
“The election and composition of the Election Boards is regulated in Article 38 of the Electoral Code. In our opinion, one person cannot be an observer and member of an election board at the same time. If the person is already member of an election board, the State Election Commission should not issue this person authorization for an observer”.
As to the question, on what basis are members of election boards elected, the answer again is in the same Article 38 of the Electoral Code, namely, it is formed in such a way that three members are randomly selected from among the administration, and two are upon nomination by the political parties that have won the majority of votes in the previous elections.
Translation: N. Cvetkovska
