Diaspora voting is the only thing on which the parties last year, while changing the Electoral Code, failed to agree and left it to settle it in better times, i.e. before the next parliamentary elections.
SDSM proposal was voting in the constituency 7, 8 and 9 to be carried out if the number of registered voters in each of them is at least 3 percent of the average number of voters in constituency 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, and the candidate who got at least 20 percent of the total number of registered voters in the constituency is considered as elected. These suggestions were not acceptable for the ruling party.
So far, the parties have made no new proposals how to solve this problem.
According to SDSM, OSCE/ODIHR report of 2011 indicates the need to revise the current system of allocation of mandates in the constituencies outside the country to ensure that the votes from the diaspora for the election of MPs won’t considerably underestimate the equal right to vote.
Amendments to the Electoral Code to which the parties agreed are:
- Forbidden commissioning of facilities built with budget funds and imprisonment of six months to one year for those who fail to abide by this;
- Forbidden starting building structures in pre-election period;
- Forbidden paying subsidies, wages, pensions, social assistance and other tangible benefits with budget funds that are not regular monthly income;
- Forbidden paying annual transfers from the budget;
- MOI to update electoral lists four times a year and make a special statement of persons who are abroad on election day, as well as that the parties may require adjustments to the voter list;
- Donations that parties receive are limited to 50,000 euros, including donations from the media.
