The election processes in the country in the past 18 years have always been monitored also by the OSCE/ODIHR Observation mission upon the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of our country. How prepared North Macedonia is for this election process, what are the recommendations of the ODIHR, how will the very process be observed and how important the observation of the international organizations is during the elections, were questions to which Corien Jonker, Head of the ODIHR Mission in North Macedonia gave answers.
CIVIL MEDIA: Has North Macedonia met the recommendations of ODIHR from the previous election processes? What are the main challenges ahead of the presidential elections in our country?
JONKER: Good afternoon. Thank you for your question. Maybe at first if you will allow me to start with telling what actually an ODIHR, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, observation mission does in a country.
We just arrived three weeks ago, on the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is the 18th election observation in the country, and it is done because North Macedonia is a member of the OSCE, and with that they agreed to invite our organization to see and to observe their elections if they are organized in line with international standards for democratic elections. And, of course, we also look at the national legislation, and to see if the elections are organized in line with the country’s own legislation. When it comes to the recommendations, it’s too early yet. As I mentioned, we just arrived three weeks ago and only at the end of our observation we will have been able to look into previous recommendations and then again we will reflect in our publications on those recommendations and if they are indeed implemented and we will have again new recommendations for the country. But for now, it’s too early to give you a direct answer to your question.
CIVIL MEDIA: How important is the election observation? What should we know about election observation?
JONKER: I think an election observation is important. As I mentioned, the country also committed itself to invite our organization to have their elections observed. But also on the field, we have a core team of analysts. We meet with all the stakeholders involved in the capital, but next to that, also our long-term observers in the field speak with the stakeholders regarding the elections in their area of observation. And, what they gave back to us is that indeed for them it is important to have again the election observation mission in the country. To also see how the country progresses in relation to democratic elections and for future recommendation. You know, to know what to look at and what to prioritize, to further improve the elections.
The core team based in Skopje started three weeks ago and our long-term observers started two weeks ago after briefing here in the capital, and on a daily basis we receive information from that from the region and we provide them with information from Skopje. And closer to the elections we will have up to 250 short-term observers. They will be responsible to observe, on the one hand, the campaign silence the day before the election day, but also to observe the election day from the opening, voting, counting and also the tabulation. So altogether, the ODIHR election observation mission will observe the pre-election period, Election day and also the post-election period. So, in a way it covers the whole election process, and of course, in the event of a second round, we also will stay in the country and will then have our preliminary findings and conclusions presented after the process.
CIVIL MEDIA: What are your messages and recommendations for the decision makers and stakeholders ahead of the presidential elections in North Macedonia?
JONKER: Again it’s a bit too early to say that, because if we would do so we would intervene in the process, and our mandate is not to advise or to intervene, but to observe. So, the organization of the elections is for the authorities. It is their responsibility. We observe, and only after election day, we will present in a press conference our preliminary findings. And then two or three months after the whole process, we publish a final report, which then also has the recommendations for future elections.
We will have an interim report. It will be published on the 5th of April. But, it is more a descriptive report. If there are violations, then that will be included in our preliminary findings and conclusions, published on the 22nd of April, the day after the elections, and again, the day after the second election day.
Dijana Tahiri
Camera: Dehran Muratov
Editing: Biljana Jordanovska
