Info

Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of

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Boundary Delimitation

BD001

Delimitation of constituencies

Question:	Are constituencies delimited for election purposes?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:	In the Republic of Macedonia six election districts are determined based on Article 3 of the Law on Election Districts for the Election of Members of the Parliament.
Source:	Law on Parliamentary Elections Article 2 and Law on Election Districts for the Election of Members of the Parliament (Law on Election Districts).
Verified:	2004/02/17

BD003

Criteria for drawing boundaries

Question:	On what criteria are the boundaries drawn?
Answer(s):	a. "Equality" of population
Comments:
Source:	Law on Parliamentary Elections article 2 paragraph 2.
Verified:	2004/02/17

BD005

Body responsible for drawing boundaries

Question:	The body responsible for drawing the boundaries is:
Answer(s):	a. Legislature (1st chamber) e. Electoral Management Body (EMB)
Comments:
Source:	Macedonian Constitution article 91, paragraph 1 item 2 and article 116.
Verified:	2004/02/17

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Electoral Systems

ES001

Head of State

Question:	How is the Head of State selected?
Answer(s):	c. Directly elected in general elections (absolute majority with 2nd round if necessary)
Comments:	(2) A candidate for President of the Republic is elected if voted by a majority of the total number of voters. (3) If in the first round of voting no candidate wins the majority required, voting in the second round is restricted to the two candidates who have won most votes in the first round. (4) The second round takes place within 14 days of the termination of voting in the first round. (5) A candidate is elected President if he/she wins a majority of the votes of those who voted, provided more than half of the registered voters voted. (6) If in the second round of voting no candidate wins the required majority of votes, the whole electoral procedure is repeated. (7) If only one candidate is nominated for the post of President of the Republic and he/she does not obtain the required majority of votes in the first round, the whole electoral procedure is repeated.
Source:	Macedonian Constitution Article 81 paragraph 2 et seq & Law on Presidential Elections Article 11 et seq
Verified:	2004/02/16

ES002

Head of Government

Question:	How is the Head of Government selected?
Answer:	f. Other
Comments:	The President of the Republic of Macedonia is obliged, within 10 days of the constitution of the Assembly, to entrust the mandate for constituting the Government to a candidate from the party or parties which has/have a majority in the Assembly.
Source:	Macedonian Constituion Article 90 paragraph 1
Verified:	2002/09/02

ES003

President

Question:	Does the country have a president?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:
Source:	Macedonian Constitution Article 79
Verified:	2002/09/02

ES004

Number of Chambers

Question:	The national legislature consists of (one/two chambers):
Answer:	a. One chamber
Comments:
Source:	Macedonian Constitution Articles 61 and 62
Verified:	2002/09/02

ES005

Electoral System (Chamber 1)

Question:	What is the electoral system for Chamber 1 of the national legislature?
Answer(s):	g. List Proportional Representation
Comments:	In the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia 120 Members of Parliament are elected according to the proportional model, whereby the territory of the Republic of Macedonia is divided into 6 election districts determined by law, each of which shall elect 20 Members of Parliament.
Source:	Law on parliamentary elections Article 2 paragraph 1
Verified:	2004/02/16

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Legislative Framework

LF001

Status of Electoral Law

Question:	What is the status of the electoral law governing national elections?
Answer(s):	a. Part of Constitution b. Separate legislation
Comments:
Source:	Law on the election of the Members of Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia (Law on parliamentary elections)
Verified:	2006/11/21

LF003

Electoral Law covers

Question:	The national electoral law covers:
Answer(s):	a. National elections
Comments:	Both local and presidential elections are regulated by additional legislation.
Source:	Law on parliamentary elections Article 1
Verified:	2006/11/21

LF004

Compulsory/voluntary voting

Question:	Is voting on the national level voluntary or compulsory?
Answer(s):	a. Voting is voluntary
Comments:	a) Article 3: Members of Parliament are elected at general, direct, and free elections, by secret ballot. Nobody is allowed to call the voter to account for his voting, or ask him to say whom he has voted or why he has not voted.
Source:	Law on parliamentary elections article 3
Verified:	2006/11/21

LF007

Electoral Disputes Agency(ies)

Question:	What are the agency(ies) responsible for the first level of formal electoral disputes?
Answer(s):	b. EMB
Comments:	Article 105: The procedure for the protection of the right to vote is an urgent one. Submissions (objections and complaints) for the protection of the right to vote shall be communicated directly to the competent bodies, through the organs that have made previous decisions. The decisions of the competent bodies made in second instance shall be final. Article 106: Each candidate list submitter has the right to file an objection to the State Election Commission in the procedure for voting, summing up and determining results of the voting. The objection referred to in Paragraph 1 of this Article shall be submitted within 48 hours of the time the irregularities have been found. The State Election Commission is obliged to reach a decision within 48 hours after it has received the objection. A complaint against the decision of the State Election Commission may be lodged before the Supreme Court of the Republic of Macedonia within 48 hours following the receipt of the decision. The complaint shall be lodged through the State Election Commission. Article 107: If any voter or candidate list submitter notices irregularities in the election procedure, he may lodge an objection with the Regional Election Commission (REC) within 48 hours. The REC is obliged to reach a decision within 48 hours after the receipt of the objection. A complaint against the decision of the REC may be lodged before the competent Court of Appeals within 48 hours after the receipt of the decision through the REC. Article 108: The Supreme Court of the Republic of Macedonia and the Courts of Appeals decide on the complaints in a council of five judges selected by drawing lots. The Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeals are obliged to reach a decision within 48 hours after the receipt of a complaint. The Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeals may confirm or change a decision.
Source:	Law on parliamentary elections articles 32, and 105 et seq
Verified:	2005/03/10

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Electoral Management

EM001

Please provide the following contact information for the national electoral management body:

Name of Institution: State Election Commission
Website Address: www.izbori.gov.mk

Source

Verified

2009/11/05

(Found a mistake? Please let us know.)

EM002

Responsibility of national EMB

Question:	Does the national electoral body have the responsibility for elections at:
Answer(s):	a. National level c. Local level
Comments:	The State Electoral Commission is also responsible for presidential elections.
Source:	Law on parliamentary elections article 11, Law on local elections article 8, Law on presidental elections article 15.
Verified:	2004/02/17

EM004

EMB budget determined by

Question:	The budget of the national electoral management body is determined by:
Answer(s):	c. The legislature
Comments:
Source:	Law on parliamentary elections article 104
Verified:	2004/02/17

EM005

EMB expenditures controlled by

Question:	The expenditures of the national electoral management body are controlled by:
Answer(s):	e. Another organ within the national government
Comments:	State Audit Bureau
Source:	Law on State Audit Articles 1 and 4
Verified:	2004/02/17

EM006

Term of EMB members

Question:	The term of the members of the national electoral management body is:
Answer:	b. For a specified number of years
Comments:	For a term of 4 and 5 years. The State Election Commission consists of a President and 8 members and they all have deputies. Four members are appointed from among the judges of the Supreme Court and their mandate is for 5 years. Two members are nominated by the ruling political parties and two members by the political parties of the opposition. Their mandate is for 4 years. The President and Deputy of the SEC are appointed by the President of the Republic of Macedonia, for a period of 5 years.
Source:	Law on parliamentary elections article 12 and 13
Verified:	2004/02/17

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Voter Education

VE001

Information campaigns performed by

Question:	Who conducts information campaigns for national elections (informing where, when and how to register and/or vote)?
Answer(s):	a. National Electoral Management Body b. Regional Electoral Management Bodies c. Local/County Electoral Management Bodies d. National Government g. NGOs/ Civic Organizations i. Media
Comments:
Source:	Law on Parliamentary Elections article 32 paragraph 1 item 11 and 24, article 33 paragraph 1 item 6 and article 34 paragraph 1 item 6. www.ifes.org.mk
Verified:	2005/03/10

VE002

Frequency of voter education programs

Question:	At the national level, how often are voter education programs conducted?
Answer:	b. Election time only
Comments:	The formerly published voter education materials are on teh website of the State Election Commission continuosly available. The IFES website also contains infos about earlier elections, and so it constinuosly inform the voters.
Source:	Law on Parliamentary Elections article 32 paragraph 1 item 11 and 24. www.izbori.gov.mk www.ifes.org.mk
Verified:	2005/03/10

VE003

National civic education

Question:	Is there a national civic education campaign (rights and responsibilities of citizens)?
Answer(s):	h. Yes, conducted by NGOs/ Civic Organizations
Comments:
Source:	www.izbori.gov.mk IFES Macedonia, www.ifes.org.mk USAID: United States Agency for International Development
Verified:	2005/03/10

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Voter Registration

VR001

Voting age

Question:	What is the legal voting age in the national elections?
Answer:	c. 18
Comments:	Article 4: Every citizen of the Republic of Macedonia who has reached 18 years of age and has a working capacity has the right to vote.
Source:	Law on Parliamentary Elections article 4
Verified:	2004/02/17

VR002

Other voting requirements

Question:	Beyond age, what other qualifications exist for registering to vote and voting in the national elections?
Answer(s):	a. Citizenship
Comments:	Article 4: Every citizen of the Republic of Macedonia who has reached 18 years of age and has a working capacity has the right to vote.
Source:	Law on Parliamentary Elections article 4
Verified:	2004/02/17

VR004

Body responsible for voter registration

Question:	Which is the authority responsible for the registration of voters for national elections?
Answer:	a. Central Government Department (specify)
Comments:	a.) Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defence. Option d.)also applies, the State Election Commission. The voters' list is compiled by the Ministry of Justice in cooperation with Ministry for Interior and Ministry of Defense. The List is confirmed by the State Election Commission. Article 7 The Voters' List shall be maintained by the Ministry of Justice. Article 11 (1) The Ministry of Internal Affairs shall submit data to the Ministry of Justice for citizens who: - have turned 18 years of age and have a valid personal ID card or passport; - have turned 18 years of age and have died; - have turned 18 years of age and have moved to or out of a given municipality, or have changed their address within the municipality; - have turned 18 years of age and have changed their first or last name; - have turned 18 years of age and have acquired or lost citizenship of the Republic of Macedonia; - have turned 18 years of age and are temporarily working or residing abroad, or have permanently moved out of the Republic of Macedonia, with data on the country where they reside. (2) The Primary Courts shall submit data to the Ministry of Justice on persons who have been deprived of their working capacity with a final court decision. (3) The data, referred to in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Article, shall be delivered twice a year, from February 1st to 10th and July 1st to 10th. In cases when elections or a referendum are announced, the data shall be delivered the day following the announcement day of the elections or referendum. Article 12 (1) No later than 30 days before the Election Day or referendum at the state level, the Ministry of Defense shall submit data to the Ministry of Justice on persons who are serving military duty or are on military drill, based on the records kept by this body. (2) No later than 30 days before the Election Day or referendum at the state level, the Office in charge of executing sanctions shall submit data to the Ministry of Justice on persons who are in custody or sentenced to jail, based on the record kept by this body. Article 17 The State Election Commission shall do the following: - confirm the Voters' List and its excerpts referred to in Article 8, paragraph (2) of this Law, 20 days prior to Election Day.
Source:	Law on Voters' List Articles 7, 11, 12 and 17
Verified:	2004/02/17

VR008

Compulsory voter registration

Question:	Is it compulsory to be on the voters register?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:	Article 6 (1): All citizens who have turned 18 years of age, have residence on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia and who have a valid personal ID card or passport shall be registered in the Voters' List.
Source:	Law on Voters' List article 6 paragraph 1
Verified:	2004/02/17

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Voting Operations

VO003

Electors vote at

Question:	Where can electors vote?
Answer(s):	a. At a specified polling station in the locality where they are registered at national elections d. At specially designated polling stations e. At mobile polling stations
Comments:	Article 80: The voting is carried out in person at the polling stations in the Republic of Macedonia. Article 84: The voter who is unable to vote at the polling station (disabled or ill person) but wants to vote, shall notify the Municipal Election Commission thereof no later than 3 days prior to the election day. The Electoral Board enables the person referred to in paragraph (1) of this Article to vote in his home or the hospital he is in, one day prior to the elections in such a way that the secrecy of the voting is guaranteed. Article 86: Voters who are not at their place of residence on Election Day due to their military service or military maneuvers shall cast their vote at their military unit, organization, institution or unit. Voters who on Election Day are serving a prison sentence or are in custody shall vote in the penitentiary institutions.
Source:	Law on Parliamentary Elections, article 80 paragraph 1, article 84 paragraph 1 and 3 and article 86 paragraphs 1 and 2.
Verified:	2004/02/17

VO004

Voting outside the country is permitted for

Question:	Who can vote from outside the country?
Answer(s):	a. Outside the country voting is not permitted
Comments:	Based on the Constitution every registered voter has the right to vote, but under the existing law there are no provisions which allow voting from outside the country. Based on Article 80 of the Law on Parliamentary Elections the voting is permitted only on the territory of Republic of Macedonia.
Source:	Law on Parliamentary Elections article 80 paragraph 1
Verified:	2004/02/17

VO005

Locations for voting outside of the country

Question:	If voting outside the country is permitted, at what places?
Answer(s):	g. No information available
Comments:	Article 80: The voting is carried out in person at the polling stations in the Republic of Macedonia.
Source:	Law on Parliamentary Elections article 80 paragraph 1
Verified:	2004/02/17

VO011

Voting method

Question:	How do electors cast their votes?
Answer(s):	a. Manually marking of ballots
Comments:	Article 83: The voter shall cast the vote by circling the ordinal number of the list submitter he has decided to vote for and putting the folded ballot in the ballot box.
Source:	Law on Parliamentary Elections article 83.
Verified:	2004/02/18

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Parties and Candidates

PC001

Registration requirements for parties (Chamber 1)

Question:	What are the registration requirements for political parties running for national elections (Chamber 1)?
Answer(s):	f. Other
Comments:	Article 37: The nomination of candidates for election of Members of Parliament shall be done by submitting lists of candidates. A candidate for Member of Parliament may be proposed on one list of candidates only. In the proposed lists of candidates each sex shall be represented with at least 30 %.
Source:	Law on Parliamentary Elections article 37 et seq.
Verified:	2004/02/18

PC003

Registration requirements for candidates (Chamber 1)

Question:	What are the legal qualifications to become a candidate at legislative elections (Chamber 1)?
Answer(s):	a. Age b. Citizenship j. Other
Comments:	Article 5: Each citizen of the Republic of Macedonia shall have the right to be elected for Member of Parliament, if he/she: - has turned 18 years of age; - has working capacity; - is not serving a sentence of imprisonment for a committed criminal offence. Article 38: The registered political parties individually, or two or more parties jointly, as well as a group of voters, (hereinafter: lists submitters) have the right to submit a candidate's list. Article 39: In case when a candidate list submitter is a group of voters, at least 500 signatures of the voters registered in the excerpt from the General Voters List, for the electoral district concerned, shall be required.
Source:	Law on Parliamentary Elections articles 5, 38 and 39.
Verified:	2004/02/18

PC008

Independent candidates

Question:	Can independent candidates compete in presidential or legislative elections?
Answer(s):	e. In both presidential and legislative elections
Comments:	Article 38 from the Law on Parliamentary Elections: The registered political parties individually, two or more parties together, as well as a group of voters (hereinafter: list submitter) have the right to submit a list of candidates. Article 6 from the Law on Presidential Elections: A candidate for president of the Republic can be nominated by a minimum of 10.000 voters or at least 30 deputies.
Source:	Law on Parliamentary Elections articles 31 and 32.
Verified:	2004/02/19

PC012

Public funding of parties

Question:	Do political parties receive direct/indirect public funding?
Answer(s):	b. Direct c. Indirect
Comments:	Law on Political Parties Article 27: Political parties shall receive and use the funds for their activity in a manner established by law. Article 28: Political parties may receive funds from membership fees, contributions, revenues from personal assets, credits, donations, legacies and from the Budget of the Republic of Macedonia. Political parties may not receive funds for their activity from: 1. Governments, international institutions, organs and organizations from foreign states and other foreign persons; 2. State organs, local self-government organs, with the exception of the funds allocated in the budget of the Republic of Macedonia; 3. Socially-owned and state-owned enterprises, including those that have started the privatisation process. Law on Parliamentary Elections article 53: When announcing election propaganda information, the media are obliged to state that a paid advertisement is in question.
Source:	Law on Political Parties articles 27-28. Law on Parliamentary Elections article 53.
Verified:	2004/02/19

PC015

Basis of public funding

Question:	What is the basis of the public funding?
Answer(s):	b. Based on result of previous election c. Based on current legislative representation
Comments:	Law on Political Parties article 29: The funds provided in the Budget of the Republic of Macedonia for the activity of political parties amounting to 30%, shall be allocated equally among the political parties which won at least 3% of the votes at the last elections, while the remaining 70% shall be allocated to the political parties whose candidates were elected as representatives in the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, according to the number of their representatives. Should the representative be elected as candidate of two or more political parties, the funds shall be divided equally among them, unless they otherwise agree.
Source:	Law on Political Parties article 29.
Verified:	2004/02/19

PC017

Private funding of parties

Question:	Are political parties entitled to private funding?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:	Article 28: political parties may receive funds from membership fees, contributions, revenues from personal assets, credits, donations, legacies and from the Budget of the Republic of Macedonia.
Source:	Law on Political Parties article 28 paragraph 1.
Verified:	2004/02/19

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Vote Counting

VC004

Voters are sorted/counted at

Question:	Following the close of the voting, where are the votes first sorted and counted?
Answer:	a. The polling stations
Comments:
Source:	Law on Parliamentary Elections article 87.
Verified:	2009/11/04

VC011

Conditions for recount

Question:	Under what conditions are ballots recounted?
Answer(s):	f. Other
Comments:	There is no specific provision for recounting, so there is no opportunity to recount the votes, only to annul and repeat the voting. Article 100 (1): The State Election Commission shall, with a decision, annul the voting at the polling station in the following cases: if the secrecy of voting has been violated; if there is a voting disruptionwhich lasts for more than 3 hours; if the police do not respond to the intervention request by the Electoral Board, pursuant to Articles 74, 76 and 77 of this Law, while there was a need for that and it influenced the conduct of the voting at the polling station. (2) The State Election Commission shall, with a decision, annul the voting at the polling station also in the following cases: if the number of ballots in the ballot box is larger than the number of voters who voted, and that number affects the results of the voting on the election district level; if a person(s) has voted for another person(s), and that number affects the results of the voting on the election district level. (3) A complaint against the decision of paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Article may be lodged with the Supreme Court of the Republic of Macedonia through the State Election Commission within 24 hours. (4) The Supreme Court of the Republic of Macedonia shall be obliged to act upon the complaint within 48 hours following its receipt. (5) The voting at the polling station, which has been annulled, shall be repeated after 14 days of the day of voting.
Source:	Law on Parliamentary Elections article 100.
Verified:	2009/11/04

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Media and Elections

ME037

Parties receive free broadcast time based on

Question:	What are the criteria for allocating free broadcast time and/or free printed advertisement space to political parties?
Answer(s):	a. Equal regardless of size of party and previous performance h. No information available
Comments:
Source:	Art 51 Law on election of MP´s
Verified:	2005/03/23

ME059

Existence of televised debates

Question:	Are televised debates between candidates or party representatives normally conducted?
Answer(s):	c. No
Comments:	Taking into consideration the deep roots of ethnical confrontation normal conduct of such dabates are more wish than reality.
Source:	freedom house
Verified:	2005/03/23

ME062

Blackout period for opinion polls

Question:	What is the blackout period, if any, during which results of pre-election opinion polls may not be released to the public?
Answer:	c. 4-5 days
Comments:	Public opinion polls shall be announced no later than 5 days prior to Election Day.
Source:	Art 52 Law on election of MP´s
Verified:	2005/03/23

ME080

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Direct Democracy

DD002

Direct Democracy Provisions (National Level)

Question:	Are there any Legal Provisions for Direct Democracy Procedures at the national level?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:
Source:	Art 71, 73, 120 Constitution of Macedonia; Law on Referendum and civil initiative (Official Gazette of RM no. 24/98, hereinafter Law on referendum Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2005/03/03

DD003

Mandatory referendums (national level)

Question:	Are there any Legal Provisions for Mandatory Referendums at the national level?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:
Source:	art 120 constitution, Law on referendum Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2005/03/03

DD004

Optional referendums (national level)

Question:	Are there any Legal Provisions for Optional Referendums at the national level?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:
Source:	Art 73 Constitution, Law on Referendum Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2005/03/03

DD005

Citizens' Initiatives (national level)

Question:	Are there any Legal Provisions for Citizen’s Initiatives at national level?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:
Source:	Art 73 Constitution, Law on referendum Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2005/03/03

DD006

Agenda Initiatives (national level)

Question:	Are there any Legal Provisions for Agenda Initiatives at national level?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:
Source:	Art 71 Constituton, Law on referndum Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2005/03/03

DD007

Recalls (national level)

Question:	Are there any Legal Provisions for Recalls at national level?
Answer:	b. No
Comments:
Source:	Constitution Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2009/10/23

DD129

Binding referenda

Question:	Are the results of referenda always binding, never binding or sometimes binding?
Answer:	a. Always binding
Comments:
Source:	Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2009/10/23

DD130

National referenda deal with

Question:	Are the types of issues to vote upon in a referendum constitutional changes only, other issues only or both constitutional and other issues?
Answer:	b. Only other issues than constitutional changes
Comments:
Source:	Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2009/10/23

DD131

Direct Democracy at sub-national level

Question:	Are there any Legal Provisions for Direct Democracy at sub-national levels (regional or local)?
Answer:	a. Yes
Comments:
Source:	Direct Democracy: The International IDEA Handbook (2008) http://www.idea.int/publications/direct_democracy/index.cfm
Verified:	2009/10/23