The timing of elections cannot be considered separately from the democratic quality of the electoral process, said MEP Richard Howitt for “Meta” today. MEP Richard Howitt, was one of the intermediaries in the Przino Agreement.
Mr Howitt’s statement comes after the dissolution of Parliament, and the opposition’s decision not to participate in elections, after stated that they do not believe there are conditions for fair and credible elections.
Howitt reiterated that during his visit to Macedonia, he pointed out to the Macedonian political parties the need for a clean voters list before the elections, and to continue reforming the media.
However, he did not want to comment separately without other MEPs Ivo Vajgl and Eduard Kukan, to comment on the SDSM’s decision not to participate in elections.
“It is factually true that satisfactory revision of the voter lists and the need for further media reforms, were a common demand from all the cross-party mediators in the European Parliament to all of the political parties in Skopje, in advance of the elections. I will not make further individual comments separate from my European parliamentary colleagues at this stage, other than to commit myself to further urgent deliberation with them and with partners in the country itself, in the interests of what must be our common democratic values and our common European future”.
