The Most civic association informed at its first press conference today that minor irregularities had been registered at a few polling stations. They informed that a few individuals obstructed the voting at two polling stations in Kondovo and that some individuals were caught lobbying and influencing voters at two polling stations in Kicevo. Proxy voting was registered in Oslomej.
A total of 10.21 percent of the total number of voters came out to vote at the polling stations in the six constituencies by 10:00, DIK Spokesman Zoran Tanevski informed at the first press conference related to the progress of the elections in Macedonia.
All polling stations, in which citizens will be able to vote for the fifth parliamentary structure of the Macedonian Assembly, were opened this morning.
The citizens of the Republic of Macedonia will decide today which party or coalition they should entrust with the task of leading the country over the next four years. A total of 2,976 polling stations will open at 07:00 and a total of 1,741,449 voters will be able to exercise their right to vote in six constituencies. This year there are 77,153 voters more than the number of voters registered for the parliamentary elections four years ago.
According to the State Election Commission, there will be a total of 33 election lists at these elections with a total of 2,620 candidates who will compete for 120 seats in the Parliament.
President Branko Crvenkovski asked today that election day be a holiday of democracy. In his address to the nation, the Macedonian president asked the parties and citizens to show that Macedonia has democratic capacity for fair and democratic elections. With this, the process for integration into the EU and NATO will continue, he said.
Possible independence of Kosovo could threaten the stability of this region, Serbian President Boris Tadic said yesterday following his meeting with Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski.
Industrial production in the Republic of Macedonia in May 2006 increased by 10.1% from the 2003 average, which is due to the increased production in the main industrial groups: intermediate goods industries, except energy, by 35.2%, and non-durable consumer goods industries by 4.3%, official statistics shows.
Delta of Serbia is going to invest 113 million euros in Macedonia over the next two years in building a chain of supermarkets, a buyout and distributive center and a facility for bottling water. It has already provided itself with a location in Skopje, another six or seven locations will be defined over the next few months, while the construction of the factory in Bitola has already gone underway.
Business connections in the waste treatment sector is the new project of the International Financial Corporation supported by the Austrian Government to be implemented in Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.
The Canadian businessman of Macedonian origin, John Bitove, received support from the Government on Wednesday for the project, within whose framework the development of a feasibility study on Macedonia's potentials, the progress the country has made as a favorable business destination and the ongoing reforms has begun.
The World Bank and the Global Ecological Fund (GEF) approved a grant of 5.8 million dollars for the realization of the sustainable energy program that should increase Macedonia's power efficiency and contribute to better use of the country's renewable energy resources.
The German concern Siemens is considering three projects for modernization of the health sector and six infrastructure projects in the filed of transport in Macedonia. The company will fund a few of them picked as priorities. This has been defined in the framework agreement that Economy Minister Fatmir Besimi and the member of the Board of Directors of Siemens, Johannes Feldmayer, signed on Thursday.
Mobimak officially announced on Tuesday the start of its re-branding process into T-Mobile. The amount of more than 5 million euros needed to this end will be provided by T-Mobile.
•National legislation and fight against organized crime discussed at seminar held in Struga under organization of OSCE and other international organizations.
•Anticorruption Commission uncovers organized crime in tax evasion in Bacilo case.
The forthcoming parliamentary elections will be the most important test for the Republic of Macedonia and its Euro Atlantic prospects, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said today following his meeting with Macedonian Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski.
"On 5 July you will have to make the most important progress. The most important test will be the holding of 110 percent free, peaceful, and fair elections. I am convinced that you will succeed and that you will show that this is possible", De Hoop Scheffer said at today's press conference in Skopje.
The World Bank and the Global Ecological Fund (GEF) approved a grant of 5.8 million dollars for the realization of the sustainable energy program that should increase Macedonia's power efficiency and contribute to better use of the country's renewable energy resources. 
