It is ever more certain that SDSM are not going to propose a candidate for new president of the State Election Commission while they are boycotting, and that that job will be undertaken by the parliamentary committee on election and appointment as stipulated by the law. It is a great enigma, Dnevnik comments, how BDI would act in that case considering that without the votes from this party the president of the State Election Commission cannot be elected (the president is elected by a two-thirds majority).
BDI refused Thursday to give a straight answer whether they were ready to elect a new president of the State Election Commission if he or she was not proposed by the opposition but by the parliamentary committee on election and appointment. MP Rafiz Aliti said that they would honor the law.
He is an optimist that the opposition will terminate the boycott and once the new president of the State Election Commission is elected, all parties will run in the elections, because “they all want it”.
SDSM cautioned the government Thursday to not even think of filling that office without the opposition.
The chief of VMRO-DPMNE’s Communication Center, Ilija Dimovski, reiterated Thursday that Novakovski’s move, which in his view was taken by Crvenkovski’s order, was yet another proof that Crvenkovski bluffed when he called for early elections.
“It is already evident that SDSM want to escape the elections that they insisted on so much. With these anti-state moves, they are trying to slow down the functioning of the institutions responsible for the carrying out of the elections. This is only a failed attempt by SDSM to find an excuse for boycotting the elections,” Dimovski said.
He explained that Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski was going to begin the procedure of electing a new president of the State Election Commission by the legally defined terms. Dimovski added that under the election law unless the parties of the opposition propose a candidate within three days of the closing of the competition, the responsibility is taken over by the parliamentary committee on election and appointment. In that case, the Parliament is going to elect the president of the Commission with 80 votes in favor.
“When the conditions for returning to Parliament are met and its work is restored to normalcy, SDSM, in line with the law, are ready to put forward a candidate for president of the State Election Commission. At this moment, we warn the government to not even think, in their style of political violence, to appoint a president of the State Election Commission without consulting the largest opposition party,” Igor Ivanovski from SDSM said.
VMRO-DPMNE warned Thursday that SDSM was exerting strong pressure on their second member of the state Election Commission, Tanja Altandzieva. Because of this pressure, the governing party expects her too to resign and encourage her not to follow suit.
The Parliament is going to confirm Friday the resignation of Aleksandar Novakovski as president of the State Election Commission and decide to announce a competition for election of a new president, Parliament Speaker Veljanoski’s Office said Thursday, thus commencing the procedure of a new president of the State Election Commission.
The competition will be opened for eight days, whereupon the opposition has three days to say what candidate is its proposal for president. Unless they do that, the parliamentary committee on election and appointment may propose a candidate to the Parliament immediately. Hence, the State Election Commission could have a new president by 10 or 11 March. If the Parliament is dissolved on the same day, elections could be held on 24 April at the earliest (after 45 days of campaigning and preparations). However, because 24 April is Easter, elections may be held on 1 May at the earliest.
