Political parties return to Parliament today for another attempt at reaching an agreement on the Electoral Code

Another meeting of coordinators and representatives of the parliamentary groups of the parties is expected to take place in Parliament today regarding amendments to the Electoral Code.

If an agreement on the Electoral Code is reached in Parliament, then SDSM and “The Left” will withdraw their amendments, which would unblock the process. The amendments and additions to the Electoral Code are the last items among the ten points in the grace period for our country within the framework of the reform processes.

VMRO-DPMNE expects SDSM and DUI to clarify their positions on this party’s proposal for the diaspora to vote by mail, while the entire procedure would be regulated by bylaw at a session of the State Election Commission (SEC) no later than September 30, 2028. As they state, they are ready to accept a single electoral district.

On the other hand, “The Left” has requested that state funding for election advertising for parties with parliamentary groups be 10 percent, and that decision-making in the SEC be done by consensus, a demand that VMRO-DPMNE considers unacceptable.

Within the amendments to the Electoral Code already in parliamentary procedure, for which SDSM and “The Left” have submitted around 13,500 amendments, the most debated issue has been the proposal for electronic voting by the diaspora. SDSM immediately rejected this proposal and stresses that it is not against diaspora voting, underlining that the diaspora still has the opportunity to vote, but opposes a voting method that, according to the party, does not guarantee security, transparency and protection of the electoral will.

For “The Left,” electronic voting by the diaspora was an acceptable solution if it were done in exchange for increasing the percentage for paid political advertisements during elections.

Participants in the working group on the Electoral Code have accepted, for the budget financing of parties in elections, the proposal of DUI and “The Left,” according to which the ratio of the number of MPs would serve as an objective criterion for the use of 97% of these funds, while 3% would be for parties that do not have MPs in Parliament. According to this formula, 42% would go to the two largest ruling parties, 42% to the two largest opposition parties, 8% to parties with parliamentary groups, 5% to parties without parliamentary groups, and 3% to extra-parliamentary parties and groups of voters.