Macedonia: opposition gets the parliamentary elections

The opposition VMRO-DPMNE seems the clear winner of the 2006 Parliamentary Elections held yesterday, July 5. According to still unofficial results presented from several sides, VMRO-DPMNE has won between 44 and 46 seats in the new Sobranie of Macedonia (depending on the source), while the incumbent SDSM led coalition won 32 seats.

There are still some doubts about the actual number of seats won by the two major Albanian parties, but apparently the ruling DUI leads and will win 18 seats in the parliament to opposition DPA’s 11.

Similar results were offered by the MOST civic association, which monitored the electoral process with approximately 3,500 observers, covering some 70% of the polling stations in the six electoral districts. MOST results were based on the PVT (parallel vote tally) method.

The Elections proceeded with only minor incidents, and none of the wide-spread practices of past elections, such as proxy and family voting, ballot stuffing, ballot day violence and agitation, although not fully eliminated, played any significant role in the process. MOST, in its own preliminary assessment of the electoral process, noted the minor incidents but said that, in general, the Elections passed in free and democratic manner.

Macedonia now awaits for the new Parliament to be constituted in the next 20 days, barring the need for a re-vote in some districts after the deadline for complaints passes, after which the negotiations for the new Government will start.

(da Oneworld SEE)