Referendum, 30 September 2018

Following an invitation from the authorities and based on the findings and conclusions of the ODIHR Needs Assessment Mission, undertaken from 6 to 10 August 2018, ODIHR has deployed a Referendum Observation Mission (ROM) for the 30 September 2018 referendum.

The ODIHR ROM and the OSCE Mission to Skopje operate separately under their specific mandates.

Long-term Observation

The ODIHR ROM, headed by Ambassador Jan Petersen, consists of 13 international experts based in Skopje. In addition, 20 long-term observers will be deployed throughout the country from 5 September.

The mission will assess the referendum for its compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards, as well as with national legislation. Observers will follow voter registration, campaign activities, the work of the referendum administration and relevant state bodies, implementation of the legislative framework, and the resolution of referendum-related disputes. As part of the observation, the ROM will conduct a comprehensive monitoring of the media.

Referendum Day

ODIHR has requested participating States to second 250 short-term observers immediately prior to the 30 September referendum. The short-term observers will be deployed throughout the country in multinational teams of two to monitor the opening of polling stations, the voting, the counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results.

The day after the referendum, ODIHR, together with its parliamentary partners, will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference. A final report on the observation of the entire referendum process will be issued approximately two months after the end of the observation mission.

Previous Elections

ODIHR has previously observed 17 elections and one previous referendum in the country, most recently the 2017 municipal elections.