Has election campaign started in June ahead of October local elections?
Skopje, 6 June 2021 (MIA) - More than four months away from the local elections, due in the second half of October, the names of some mayor candidates are known, mainly from major political parties, and they’ve started informal campaigns. The census, scheduled for September, combined with the loosening of anti-COVID measures contributed to this. The campaign has been started by both the government and the opposition, and some experts might say that it never ended.
Zoran Zaev, Prime Minister and leader of the ruling party SDSM, attended events this past week in some parts of the country. The incumbent Mayor of Skopje, Petre Shilegov, confirmed that he will be running again, and so has Kavadarci Mayor Mitko Janchev, pointing out that the dispute between him and VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski has been resolved.
DUI president Ali Ahmeti supported the Mayor of Lipkovo at an event there, which is considered the beginning of the mayor and council candidate selection for this party.
In the meantime, the opposition party VMRO-DPMNE is also constantly on the field with the citizens. Party leader Hristijan Mickoski and other opposition officials are organizing meetings and visits throughout the country.
There is confirmed, yet unofficial information that Besa leader Bilal Kasami will run for mayor in Tetovo, whereas, Falil Zendeli, Parliament Vice President, will run in Gostivar.
An independent group of citizens promoted their participation in the local elections in Ohrid.
The State Election Commission (SEC) elected members of the municipal election commissions, and the procedure for the public procurement of biometric data reading terminals has started. The SEC president, Aleksandar Dashtevski said that the terminals will be procured on time despite the annulment of the first public procurement.
There are unofficial announcements that some MPs could also be mayor candidates, and that would change the parliamentary structure.
The questions remain about what sort of model we will be using in the local elections, and whether the parties will reach an agreement about implementing open lists – something DOM and other political parties are advocating for. It remains to be seen if the working group will submit this proposal to Parliament, though it’s unlikely.
How are the parties preparing for the local elections?
The names of some of the candidates started being announced publicly this week, above all else for mayor selection, and it can be presumed that some are potential candidates given their Facebook campaigns. For example, almost every party whose reps were contacted by MIA are polling and analyzing for possible candidates and city fathers and advisors. They will need to pass party filters, as well as get consent from the base.
SDSM’s Zaev stated that there will be a central board meeting on 8 June, where a decision will be made to elect a chief of the party’s election HQ, to create a rulebook, procedures and criteria to nominate mayor and councilor candidates that expect to be nominated by the base. Somewhere in the latter half of June, SDSM will begin checks through field surveys to collect information about what the citizens care about the most when it comes to candidate nomination, Zaev said.
Speaking to the media on Friday, he said that SDSM and DUI haven’t talked at all about a Skopje mayor candidate, endorsed by both government coalition partners.
Zaev said that they are going towards unifying and forming coalition, first and foremost with the parties in the coalition, among which are DUI, Besa and DPA, as well as the opposition parties from the Albanian bloc.
“We made the biggest parliamentary election coalition, multi-ethnically complete for the first time. 32 parties from the government and the opposition have backed President [Stevo] Pendarovski, so we’re moving towards a unification this time too, in the local elections. Why? Because strength is in unity, and success is in unity, too,” Zaev said.
As he said, the local elections are special elections, ‘they are elections of personalities.’
“The parties do have influence, but the character of the mayor or councilor candidate is crucial,” said Zaev, who had served as the mayor of Strumica for three terms, and he knows from experience that it’s important for the citizens to trust their local officeholders.
And that, he points out, depends on how the coalitions will be created.
“We will make coalitions. We’re starting off with our own preoccupation to create them to the max. A part of them will be made in the first round, and the other part will be made in the second. With who – of course, the standard coalition partners that we are partners with on a state level. We are 25-26 political parties together in one team that believes in the same cause. The focus is always on the Albanian parties in that aspect. We have three in our coalition right now: DUI, Besa, DPA, but we are also cooperating with opposing parties,” Zaev said.
Skopje Mayor Petre Shilegov said that he plans to run for mayor again and that he expects to win.
“My position remains the same, and before speculations start, they will be cleared up tomorrow, and you’ll see we’re not talking about a mayor candidate,” Shilegov says in regards to the speculations that SDSM and DUI made agreements to propose a mutual candidate for mayor of the capital city.
The opposition party VMRO-DPMNE says that they are completely dedicated to the citizens and will continue to be so. They are open to forming coalitions with other parties.
“We are completely dedicated to the citizens, having met with them since December and this intensity will continue. We establish closeness this way, getting countless ideas and projects from the citizens. Our ‘From person to person’ campaign will go on until the elections end,” Gjorgjija Sajkoski, general party secretary told MIA.
In regards to the candidates, he said that the criteria for the mayor and advisors are ready. Based on them and the base itself, candidates will be determined who will also have to pass though the filters of the highest party organs.
Sajkoski says that there are abuses at every level in terms of intensifying local elections activities.
“The government has lied to the citizens in every city, because only 10% of the promises delivered by SDSM and DUI have been fulfilled,” Sajkoski said.
VMRO-DPMNE, he adds, is open to cooperation with every political party.
Falil Zendeli, Parliament Vice President and Besa MP, who is an unofficial candidate for mayor of Gostivar, says that the party reorganized its branches, and thus started local election preparations. Surveys and analyses are being made as well. Their current attitude is to go on as independent candidates, but they’re not excluding the possibility to work together with other parties.
Zendeli agrees that the parties intensified their election activities, saying that the census scheduled for September shouldn’t affect the elections, and no one knows what will be happening with the pandemic in autumn.
He believes that the results of the local elections will be a test for VMRO-DPMNE after which a possible strengthening of the demand for parliamentary elections, whereas it means gaining legitimacy for SDSM.
Maja Morachanin, MP and president of DOM, stated that there is a need for open lists for local elections, and they’ve suggested it. Morachanin says that she wants the Parliament’s working group to put forward this stance too so that other parties can take a stance. Through open lists, she says, the people can elect people, not just parties.
DOM is preparing for local elections and will go on independently, leaving space for cooperation with civil organizations and political parties they have common program goals with. Their focus as a green party will be to protect the environment and climate, human rights, gender equality, urbanism etc.
“We’re discussing matters within the party. There is an inter-party debate and candidate suggestions,” Morachanin told MIA, adding that they still haven’t finalized what cities they will propose their own mayors and advisors, announcing analyses and surveys.
She believes that it’s not unusual for party activities to start much sooner than official campaigns. This time, it was probably the loosening of measures that allowed parties to meet with people in the field that contributed to it.
According to the political agreement, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the census was delayed until September, and the local elections were put off until the latter half of October in order for the parties to organize a campaign after completing the count of the population and households. According to the Election Rulebook amendments, these should be the very first elections in North Macedonia where biometric data terminals will be implemented, which are believed to help avoid voting irregularities.
Elizabeta Veljanovska Najdeska
Translated by Dragana Knezhevikj
There are unofficial announcements that some MPs could also be mayor candidates, and that would change the parliamentary structure.
The questions remain about what sort of model we will be using in the local elections, and whether the parties will reach an agreement about implementing open lists – something DOM and other political parties are advocating for. It remains to be seen if the working group will submit this proposal to Parliament, though it’s unlikely.
How are the parties preparing for the local elections?
The names of some of the candidates started being announced publicly this week, above all else for mayor selection, and it can be presumed that some are potential candidates given their Facebook campaigns. For example, almost every party whose reps were contacted by MIA are polling and analyzing for possible candidates and city fathers and advisors. They will need to pass party filters, as well as get consent from the base.
SDSM’s Zaev stated that there will be a central board meeting on 8 June, where a decision will be made to elect a chief of the party’s election HQ, to create a rulebook, procedures and criteria to nominate mayor and councilor candidates that expect to be nominated by the base. Somewhere in the latter half of June, SDSM will begin checks through field surveys to collect information about what the citizens care about the most when it comes to candidate nomination, Zaev said.
Speaking to the media on Friday, he said that SDSM and DUI haven’t talked at all about a Skopje mayor candidate, endorsed by both government coalition partners.
Zaev said that they are going towards unifying and forming coalition, first and foremost with the parties in the coalition, among which are DUI, Besa and DPA, as well as the opposition parties from the Albanian bloc.
“We made the biggest parliamentary election coalition, multi-ethnically complete for the first time. 32 parties from the government and the opposition have backed President [Stevo] Pendarovski, so we’re moving towards a unification this time too, in the local elections. Why? Because strength is in unity, and success is in unity, too,” Zaev said.
As he said, the local elections are special elections, ‘they are elections of personalities.’
“The parties do have influence, but the character of the mayor or councilor candidate is crucial,” said Zaev, who had served as the mayor of Strumica for three terms, and he knows from experience that it’s important for the citizens to trust their local officeholders.
And that, he points out, depends on how the coalitions will be created.
“We will make coalitions. We’re starting off with our own preoccupation to create them to the max. A part of them will be made in the first round, and the other part will be made in the second. With who – of course, the standard coalition partners that we are partners with on a state level. We are 25-26 political parties together in one team that believes in the same cause. The focus is always on the Albanian parties in that aspect. We have three in our coalition right now: DUI, Besa, DPA, but we are also cooperating with opposing parties,” Zaev said.
Skopje Mayor Petre Shilegov said that he plans to run for mayor again and that he expects to win.
“My position remains the same, and before speculations start, they will be cleared up tomorrow, and you’ll see we’re not talking about a mayor candidate,” Shilegov says in regards to the speculations that SDSM and DUI made agreements to propose a mutual candidate for mayor of the capital city.
The opposition party VMRO-DPMNE says that they are completely dedicated to the citizens and will continue to be so. They are open to forming coalitions with other parties.
“We are completely dedicated to the citizens, having met with them since December and this intensity will continue. We establish closeness this way, getting countless ideas and projects from the citizens. Our ‘From person to person’ campaign will go on until the elections end,” Gjorgjija Sajkoski, general party secretary told MIA.
In regards to the candidates, he said that the criteria for the mayor and advisors are ready. Based on them and the base itself, candidates will be determined who will also have to pass though the filters of the highest party organs.
Sajkoski says that there are abuses at every level in terms of intensifying local elections activities.
“The government has lied to the citizens in every city, because only 10% of the promises delivered by SDSM and DUI have been fulfilled,” Sajkoski said.
VMRO-DPMNE, he adds, is open to cooperation with every political party.
Falil Zendeli, Parliament Vice President and Besa MP, who is an unofficial candidate for mayor of Gostivar, says that the party reorganized its branches, and thus started local election preparations. Surveys and analyses are being made as well. Their current attitude is to go on as independent candidates, but they’re not excluding the possibility to work together with other parties.
Zendeli agrees that the parties intensified their election activities, saying that the census scheduled for September shouldn’t affect the elections, and no one knows what will be happening with the pandemic in autumn.
He believes that the results of the local elections will be a test for VMRO-DPMNE after which a possible strengthening of the demand for parliamentary elections, whereas it means gaining legitimacy for SDSM.
Maja Morachanin, MP and president of DOM, stated that there is a need for open lists for local elections, and they’ve suggested it. Morachanin says that she wants the Parliament’s working group to put forward this stance too so that other parties can take a stance. Through open lists, she says, the people can elect people, not just parties.
DOM is preparing for local elections and will go on independently, leaving space for cooperation with civil organizations and political parties they have common program goals with. Their focus as a green party will be to protect the environment and climate, human rights, gender equality, urbanism etc.
“We’re discussing matters within the party. There is an inter-party debate and candidate suggestions,” Morachanin told MIA, adding that they still haven’t finalized what cities they will propose their own mayors and advisors, announcing analyses and surveys.
She believes that it’s not unusual for party activities to start much sooner than official campaigns. This time, it was probably the loosening of measures that allowed parties to meet with people in the field that contributed to it.
According to the political agreement, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the census was delayed until September, and the local elections were put off until the latter half of October in order for the parties to organize a campaign after completing the count of the population and households. According to the Election Rulebook amendments, these should be the very first elections in North Macedonia where biometric data terminals will be implemented, which are believed to help avoid voting irregularities.
Elizabeta Veljanovska Najdeska
Translated by Dragana Knezhevikj 
