British Minister for Europe, David Lidington, called on President Gjorge Ivanov to withdraw his decision to pardon individuals who are under investigation.
“The President’s decision on 12 April, to pardon those individuals currently being investigated over allegations of abuse, is a matter of considerable concern. This decision protects those officials and former ministers accused of corruption and denies justice to the people of Macedonia. The wiretap allegations last year raised serious questions about the rule of law and the credibility of elections. These allegations must be fully investigated according to due legal process, so Macedonia can find a sustainable resolution to the ongoing political crisis. I urge the President of Macedonia to find a way to reverse the decision,” reads the Lidington’s statement.
The British Minister also expressed concern that Macedonia is not ready to organize credible elections on June 5th.
” Macedonia is due to have elections on 5 June. We are concerned at the state of readiness for early elections, with lack of clarity on the Voters’ List, no progress on media reform and reports of intimidation. We hope that any public demonstrations will be conducted without recourse to violence. I spoke to the President of governing party VMRO, Nikola Gruevski on 13 April to make clear our concerns and to call for action, “reads the statement by Minister Lidington.
