Skopje, 15 March 2024 (MIA) – In a media briefing Friday, Ljupka Guguchevskia, the spokesperson of the State Election Commission (SEC), clarified the latest amendments to the Electoral Code, noting all citizens living in North Macedonia who are set to turn 18 by election day will be included in the electoral roll, and that citizens whose ID cards or passports expire during a period of 9 months before the elections will be eligible to vote at the coming presidential and parliamentary elections. She also noted that the country’s diaspora will be able to vote at the parliamentary elections only if there are at least 5.355 accepted voter registrations from nationals abroad. They will be able to vote at the presidential elections regardless of the number of registered voters.

Guguchevska stressed that the citizens will have to identify themselves in order to be eligible to vote, noting that they will be able to present valid personal documents as identification or documents whose validity expired during the 9-month period before the elections.

Citizens who turn 18 during the two weeks between the first round of the presidential elections and the parliamentary elections will be included in the electoral roll for the parliamentary elections only, said the spokesperson.

In terms of the diaspora vote, Guguchevska clarified that regardless of the number of registered voters, a vote for the presidential elections will be held. However, she noted, in order to hold a vote for the parliamentary elections, at least 5.355 voters abroad will have to register.

“In order for a polling place to be opened at the country’s diplomatic-consular offices abroad, at least ten voters have to be registered to vote,” Guguchevska added.

In terms of the election of potential MPs in the diaspora vote, the SEC spokesperson clarified that since there is a specific electoral district for the diaspora, in order for an MP to be elected they have to receive at least as many votes as the MP with the least amount of votes on the territory of the country at the last parliamentary elections.

“For these elections, this figure stands at 5.355. So, at least 5.355 voters are required to register in the diaspora for a vote to be held. Additionally, a single candidate has to win at least 5.355 votes to be elected by the diaspora,” said Guguchevska.

So far 1.451 nationals abroad have applied to vote at the coming elections, 1.101 have been accepted, 159 have had their applications rejected and 191 are yet to be processed. The deadline for the registration of voters from the diaspora expires on March 18.