Skopje, 17 April 2024 (MIA) – Representatives of the political parties and coalitions signed Wednesday the Code for Fair and Democratic Elections ahead of the 11th parliamentary elections, due on May 8.

Speaking at the ceremony held in the Parliament, State Election Commission President Aleksandar Dashtevski said the signing is an act of expression of the willingness to preserve the integrity of the democratic process. 

“The Code is a confirmation of the democratic development for our society that we are all committed to the principles of democracy. By signing the Code, the signatories sent a message they’d respect all the rules, laws and regulations and they’d respect the rule of law and legal state in the process of organizing the elections,” stated Dashtevski. 

By signing the document, he added, the political parties pledge they will respect the code of ethics and will not use hate speech during the election campaign.

Speaking to members of the media after the signing, political party officials highlighted the imbalance in the distribution of state funds for political marketing between the big and small political parties and coalitions.

Maksim Dimitrievski of the Movement Znam - For Our Macedonia said that in the midst of the presidential campaign, many MP candidates are directly involved speakers seeking support for the presidential candidates. He called on the State Election Commission to re-examine it. 

“The large political factors will be given EUR nine million in taxpayers’ money, whereas the small political parties will receive EUR 8,000 each. Well, let the citizens come to a conclusion. Amid the presidential campaign, many MP candidates are directly involved by seeking support for the presidential candidates. This should be re-examined by the Commission,” stated Dimitrievski.

Pointing out the state financing of political campaigns, Stevcho Jakimovski, representative of the Brave for Macedonia coalition, said the idea of the state financing of election campaigns is to encourage political pluralism rather than to finance only the largest ruling and opposition parties. 

Jakimovski noted he didn’t sign the Code.

Representatives of the two largest Macedonian political blocs, the SDSM-led coalition and the VMRO-DPMNE-led coalition, vowed they will conduct a fair and positive campaign and commit to respecting the ethical standards and rules. 

Officials of Nova Alternativa, the European Citizen’s Movement and Tvoja party signed the Code, while the document wasn’t signed by representatives of Democrats party, Desna and the Worker’s Party. 

Photo: MIA