Skopje, 3 June 2024 (MIA) - At an emergency session Monday, the Judicial Council reviewed Supreme Court judge Cvetanka Perikj’s withdrawal of her candidacy for Judicial Court membership and concluded that the ballots for the coming vote will remain unchanged.

The Council unanimously adopted the decision with nine votes in favor, after Supreme Court judge Perikj delivered a statement to the Council that she is withdrawing her candidacy due to health reasons six days ahead of the vote.

Council member Antoaneta Dimovska said she was unpleasantly surprised by Perikj’s withdrawal.

“I have to say, I am unpleasantly surprised, because all of this is happening at a stage when the entire procedure is already concluded. The Judicial Council can’t make any changes, since we finalized the ballots, formed the elections commission. And this is quite strange to me,” DImovska said.

According to member Selim Ademi the law doesn’t provide for such a situation, and the Council has already finalized the ballots with the two candidates and submitted them to the elections commission.

“Based on the commission’s reports, the materials have been printed, received and there would be financial implications. At this stage the Judicial Council cannot intervene and amend the ballot,” Ademi said.

Supreme Court president Besa Ademi said she isn’t familiar with the reasons for Perikj’s withdrawal.

“Neither I nor the judges are fully familiar with the reasons for the withdrawal. It would’ve been of essential importance to notify the session of judges about this step since the electoral process has already begun and a set of activities have been launched,” Ademi said.

Ademi said that a Judicial Council member should always be led by the most important goal, which, she said, is the protection of the independence, integrity and reputation of the judiciary.

“It is always good to have more candidates in elections like these, that’s the point of the electoral system. The recommendations of the peer review mission move in this direction as well, detecting that improvements of legislation in this area are needed,” Ademi said.

Member Tanja Chacharova-Ilieva urged candidates to carry out a deeper analysis of their personal situation and their ability to be up to the task of being a member of the Judicial Council before submitting their candidacies.

“Currently there are two candidates on the ballot and the procedure is in the final stage. The ballots have been printed and received by the Council, while Cvetanka Perikj’s withdrawal was delivered on May 30, 2024, a day before we received the ballots. We aren’t obliged to make a decision, and we will only note the withdrawal, but I have to say that this is an unserious step by a Supreme Court judge, considering the contents of the statement and the reasons given,” Chacharova-Ilieva said.

At Monday’s session, the Council also unanimously adopted the financial plan by the commission for the elections of Judicial Council members. 

Photo: MIA Archive