The delegation of the European Union (EU) and the Embassy of the United States (US) in Macedonia today, as announced, should be announcing their assessment on whether there are conditions for holding early parliamentary elections on April 24.
Initially, the assessment by the EU and the US should have been announced yesterday, however, the embassies informed the public that the it was delayed at the request of the political parties signatory to the Przhino Agreement.
Belgian mediator in the negotiations, Peter Vanhoutte last night on his Twitter account said: “It’s about effective negotiations. I Surrender: No elections on April 24.”
It's all about effective negotiations pic.twitter.com/KqZPrXXJGH
— Peter Vanhoutte (@peter_vanhoutte) February 20, 2016
Ambassadors of the EU and US, Aivo Orav and Jess Baily, at the end of January, after a meeting with interim Prime Minister Emil Dimitriev, said that on February 19 they will announce their assessment on whether there are conditions for fair and credible elections on April 24.
It was also announced that the EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn would visit Macedonia at some point in the middle of the month, but currently there is no information on when, or whether the visit will happen at all.
So far it is unclear whether negotiations will continue between working groups of the political parties to reform the media, after their meeting on Thursday ended without any success. Before leaving the MPs Cluhouse, Peter Vanhoutte said, the failure to reach an agreement on media reforms will affect the final assessment of the EU and US on early elections.
