VMRO-DPMNE demands OSCE to observe the elections

VMRO-DPMNE wants the OSCE to increase the number of observers during the presidential election in the country, which would prevent the possible illegal filling of the ballot boxes. The main opposition party fears that the government is preparing a forgery of the will of the citizens, especially when their request for early general elections was not accepted, which would have contributed to the increased monitoring of the process. SDSM urges Hristijan Mickoski not to look an alibi for the upcoming defeat, and said that the elections will be fair, free and democratic as it is appropriate for a country – a future NATO member and a candidate for EU membership.

The case against Ljupco Dimovski

VMRO-DPMNE lists several reasons why the opposition party has reasonable doubt that SDSM will try to force its candidate to win, because, as VMRO-DPMNE officials say, the government was aware that the opposition’s rating is convincingly higher.
“First, we have seen before that they are absolutely comfortable when it comes to violating the election process. Remember what happened in the referendum on the name, we had places all over the country where in the last two hours before the closing of the boxes, there was a vote each second that is physically impossible. But the filling of the boxes went completely unpunished, because the Public Prosecution, which is under direct command of the government, did not conduct any kind of investigation. Second, nowadays we are witnessing a bunch of ads for job vacancies in the state administration, 700 jobs in city enterprises, 200 in the Municipality of Aerodrom now, hundreds in the Customs, in the ministries, etc. The government is overemploying in the eve of elections, which is a violation of rules for a fair and democratic process. Third, the political pressure towards the opponents of the government continues with an uninterrupted intensity, the last example is the case against MP Ljupco Dimovski, who is again threatened with detention and trial, only because he did not vote in favour of constitutional changes,” said the main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party.
According to them, it doesn’t matter whether the quarrel between the coalition partners in the government is tampered or not, as this would have no effect on the regularity of the elections.
“Oliver Spasovski uses the police as a tool, they work on his behalf. Imagine if he decides to run for president from the ranks of SDSM…”, said officials from VMRO-DPMNE’s so-called ‘White Palace’.

He lies both at home and in Brussels

The suspicions that Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and his associates were plotting rigged elections was a topic Mickoski regularly mentioned during his meetings with senior officials of the European People’s Party in Brussels. The opposition leader complained to the EPP president, Joseph Daul, and the rapporteur for Macedonia in the European Parliament, Ivo Vajgl, demanding a strong presence of foreign observers during the presidential elections.
“I do not see a reason why the elections would not be fair, but I believe that the Government and the State Election Commission must do everything to administer credible elections that reflect a democratic and tolerant environment,” underlined the EP Macedonia Rapporteur.
VMRO DPMNE Vice President Aleksandar Nikoloski made similar complaints, who held a bilateral meeting with the leadership of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Washington on Thursday, as well as with Congressman Robert Adelhardt, who is vice-president of the OSCE.
“I asked Adelhardt to urge the OSCE to send a solid monitoring mission to the upcoming elections in order to prevent irregularities and filling of ballot boxes. I asked that holding a credible and democratic election be a condition for NATO membership and starting negotiations with the EU,” VMRO-DPMNE’s vice president said.
SDSM responded that while Macedonia gets its chair at the NATO table, the anti-Western Hristijan Mickoski continues with his destructiveness and manipulations.
“He is desperate because he failed to stall the country’s future in NATO and the EU. He is lying both at home and in Brussels, but will not undermine the success of Macedonia. Instead of spreading lies, Mickoski should be getting ready for a defeat in the presidential election, he should get ready to lose any election. The elections will be fair, free and democratic,” replied officials from SDSM’s headquarters on Bihac Street.

Goran Adamovski