The Working Group on the Electoral Reforms, formed by the Ministry of Justice, today had its first meeting, a constitutive session.

The Working Group includes representatives of political parties, institutions in charge of implementing the election processes –SEC, SCPC, SAO, MISA, MoI – representatives of NGOs and trade unions. The Chairman of the Working Group is Aleksandar Novakovski, expert and former President of the SEC.

The meeting was also attended by two representatives of CIVIL, who gave their contribution in the discussion on the manner of cooperation and further work of the Working Group.

The goal of the Working Group is to implement the recommendation of the OSCE/ODIHR and to work on a new Electoral Code.

Minister of Justice Krener Loga said that through representatives of the ministry, he will give his contribution to the work of the group, and at the same time called on VMRO-DPMNE to join the process through membership in the working group and through proposals and initiatives, as well as with a constructive debate to contribute to the reforms in the election legislation.

As Loga said, VMRO-DPMNE should stop “harassing the public through the media”.

At the press conference, after the meeting, Novakovski said that certain issues were agreed today that are key for the work of the working group to start.

“We agreed to start with implementing first of all the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR, and then work on a new Electoral Code. I hope that we will come out with a draft and that we will manage to meet the deadlines determined by some European standards and that these changes will be made in a period of 6 months before the elections”, said Novakovski.

B. Jordanovska

Translation: N. Cvetkovska