ODIHR shares expertise with working group on electoral reform in Skopje

A team of experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) visited Skopje from 9 to 10 May 2018 to provide assistance to a working group mandated to review the Electoral Code. The working group was established by the Ministry of Justice of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and held its first session on 10 May.

The ODIHR team shared expertise and good practices for effective electoral reform with the working group, including on rules of engagement, inclusiveness and transparency. The experts will support the group throughout its mandate, by providing technical and legal expertise to assist in the follow-up to previous ODIHR electoral recommendations.

The working group plans to propose legal amendments in key areas, including election administration, voter registration, campaign finance and the media coverage of campaigns.

All OSCE participating States have committed themselves to promptly following up on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations, and ODIHR has consistently supported these efforts.

The visit was part of the project Support to Elections in the Western Balkans, which builds upon ODIHR’s assistance in the follow-up process. The project is funded by the European Union and the Austrian Development Agency. The visit was co-ordinated with the OSCE Mission to Skopje.