Presidential Election, 14 and 28 April 2004

In response to an invitation fror the Foreign Ministry of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, ODIHR deployed an election observation mission for the presidential election on 14 and 28 April.

Headed by Ambassador Friedrich Bauer of Austria, the mission began on 22 March and continued through 4 May. Some 30 experts and long-term observers from 18 OSCE participating States were deployed in Skopje and eight other cities.

Some 310 short-term observers from 32 OSCE participating States were deployed during the first round, and 277 observers from 36 states for the second round.

According to the mission's final report: "The 14 and 28 April 2004 Presidential Election was generally consistent with OSCE election-related commitments. However, election-day irregularities in some areas, particularly during the second round, cast a shadow over the process as a whole. The OSCE/ODIHR EOM observed incidents of proxy voting, ballot box stuffing and intimidation, which were much more evident in the second round. The tensions and irregularities that occurred during that round may have been aggravated by the requirement that votes must be cast by more than half of registered voters for the election to be successful."