Tagline
Search

Comments

North Macedonia, Republic of

North Macedonia, Republic of

Answer
Electoral Code of 2006 contains provisions only for registration of voters residing abroad, but it does not provide clear regulations for voting from abroad. Later amendments to the Electoral Code, especially the version of 2011 that is available online, contains very clear provisions in regards to voting from abroad. A paper by Ana Mijovska (see sources) states that the 2008 amendment to the Electoral Code allowed external voting for the first time. The copy of this amendment cannot be found online. However, the Venice Commission's opinion on the Election Code of 2008 clearly states that "as of 1 September 2009, when the new provisions in the Code will enter into force, voters who are temporarily abroad will be able to register to vote in Diplomatic Consular Offices". Later amendments to the Code up until 2020 did not introduce any major changes to overseas voting practices. Data has been updated in June 2020.
Source

North Macedonia, Electoral Code (2006, last amended in 2019), [unofficial translation by IFES], accessed 30 May 2020

Article 6

(1) Every citizen of the Republic of Macedonia who is at least 18 years of age, has the capacity to contract and has a permanent residence in the electoral district, municipality or in the City of Skopje, where the election takes place, shall have the right to vote.

(2) Citizens of the Republic of Macedonia who on Election Day are temporarily employed or residing abroad and are registered in the Voter Register based on the records of the relevant authority and the application for voting, shall vote for the election of the President of the Republic and for the election of Members of Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia in the Diplomatic-Consular Offices of the Republic of Macedonia abroad, or the consular offices, pursuant to the provisions of this Code.

Article 113-a

(1) The voters who are temporarily employed or residing abroad on Election Day shall vote at the DCOs or consular offices of the Republic of Macedonia abroad, one day prior to the Election Day in the Republic of Macedonia.

ODIHR Election Observation Mission, Republic of North Macedonia, Early Parliamentary Elections, 12 April 2020, Interim Report (3 – 31 March 2020), accessed 30 May 2020

Ana Mijovska "Voting of the Macedonian Diaspora in the Parliamentary Elections in Republic of Macedonia" 2014. 

Joint Opinion on the Electoral Code of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” as revised on 29 October 2008

Comment

Electoral Code has been amended in February 2020. However, the English version of this amendment cannot be found online. According to the OSCE Interim report produced in March 2020, the amendments did not affect overseas voting practices.

Close tooltip