30 March 2005

United States Agrees with OSCE Finding on Macedonian Elections
March 27 voting marred by same serious irregularities as first round

The United States fully concurs with the preliminary findings and conclusions of an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) election observation mission regarding the second round of local elections in Macedonia on March 27.

Although the second round was generally well conducted and orderly in most parts of the country, it did not meet key OSCE commitments guaranteeing universal and equal suffrage and ensuring ballot secrecy, according to a response released March 30 by the State Department’s Office of the Spokesman to a question take earlier in the day

The statement calls on the leaders of the political parties in those areas in which serious irregularities were observed “to condemn publicly the attempts by some supporters to weaken the democratic system by violating the electoral code.” It also calls on government authorities “to investigate and prosecute those implicated in electoral violations.”

The preliminary findings of the International Election Observation Mission are available online in Macedonian, Albanian and English at

http://www.osce.org/odihr/

Following is the text of the taken question and the State Department response:

(begin text)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
March 30, 2005

QUESTION TAKEN AT THE MARCH 30, 2005 DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

Macedonian Municipal Elections

Question: Does the State Department have any comment on the recent elections in Macedonia, specifically on the way they were conducted?

Answer: We fully concur with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) preliminary findings and conclusions regarding the second round of local elections in Macedonia on March 27. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe found that, despite some efforts, the Government of Macedonia failed to adequately address the shortcomings identified in the first round. Although the second round was generally well conducted and orderly in most parts of the country, it did not meet key Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe commitments guaranteeing universal and equal suffrage and ensuring ballot secrecy.

We are concerned that voting in a number of municipalities was marred by the same serious irregularities observed in the first round of voting on March 13. We call on the leaders of the political parties in those areas to condemn publicly the attempts by some supporters to weaken the democratic system by violating the electoral code. We also call on the responsible government authorities to investigate and prosecute those implicated in electoral violations. We urge the Government of Macedonia to heed the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe recommendations and to take immediate steps to bring its electoral laws and practices in line with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe standards.

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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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