Talks on amendments to the Electoral Code have hit a deadlock, as political parties continue to accuse one another of obstruction, while the deadline imposed by the reform agenda expires this week.
VMRO-DPMNE MP Bojan Stojanoski stated that the opposition is not aiming for a new Electoral Code, but a complete blockade. He noted that, after more than four months of intensive negotiations, the opposition’s demand to restart expert debates clearly shows that there is a tacit agreement among opposition parties to reject the draft laws. “We have negotiated for a long period, over four months, and at the moment when the law was supposed to be submitted, they backed down. This action naturally leads to the conclusion that the opposition simply has no will to approve this law and fulfill the last criterion imposed on us by the reform agenda,” said Stojanoski.
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On the other hand, SDSM returned the accusation by linking VMRO-DPMNE’s insistence on uncontrolled diaspora voting to fear of personal accountability. According to SDSM, these so-called “great patriots,” equipped with Bulgarian citizenship, European documents, and signatures in Bulgaria, are worried about their individual fate and not the future of North Macedonia. “They want to manipulate the future electoral process, in order to delay the inevitable confrontation with justice. Citizens cannot be fooled. The era of lies, manipulation, and election theft is over,” emphasized SDSM.
Meanwhile, the “E Majta” (The Left) party sharply attacked the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) after the latter decided not to participate in the coordination meeting that “The Left” had announced it would call among opposition forces to unify positions on the electoral reform. According to this party, SDSM’s stance is a pure refusal for the sake of narrow party interests. “It is a significant indicator that the party which for years propagated the idea of a single electoral district, today refuses even to sit at the discussion table on this topic. If they truly still stand behind this concept, what prevents them from dialoguing? If they have changed their mind, then let them show integrity and openly admit it before their membership,” declared “The Left”.
As for the Albanian political entities, DUI MP Arbana Pasholli clarified that they have not received any official invitation for such a meeting, but underlined that the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) is always open to institutional dialogue. The common stance of the Albanian parties remains clear: the voting right for the diaspora must be guaranteed. This entire debate takes place at a critical moment, as the deadline for approving the amendments to the Electoral Code, foreseen as a condition in the reform agenda, expires on Wednesday.
