Macedonia Campaigns Started Too Soon, OSCE Says

The interim report released on Thursday, covering the period March 10-26, says the presidential candidates started promoting their campaigns before the campaign's official start date - March 24.

Incumbent President Gjorge Ivanov, who is running for second term for the ruling VMRO DPMNE party, visited some 70 villages before the race began and published a report on his achievements as President on March 14, it said.

The candidate of the main opposition Social Democrats, SDSM, Stevo Pendarovski, also started too soon, attending a meeting in the town of Prilep. The ethnic Albanian party, the Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, also launched its campaign prematurely on behalf of Iljaz Halimi with a meeting in the western town of Gostivar.

The report said publication of a report on the government's work by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski marked an early start to the general election campaign as well.

"The State Electoral Commission heard two complaints filed by the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia, SDSM, alleging early campaigning. The Commission upheld the first complaint and dismissed the second," the report recalled.

On a more positive note, the report said changes to the Electoral Code made in January marked an effort "to address the majority of prior OSCE/ODIHR recommendations".

The OSCE noted progress in the electoral code over such matters as ensuring a clearer divide between party and state activities, and clearer regulations about party and political campaign finances.

However, "issues of concern remain unaddressed, including the inequality of the in-country and out-of-country votes in parliamentary elections and the 40-per-cent turnout requirement in the second round of presidential elections,”...