Skopje, 14 February 2024 (MIA) - The first round of the presidential elections in North Macedonia is scheduled for April 24, while the second round will be held together with the parliamentary elections on May 8, 2024.

The election of the President of the Republic takes place within the last 60 days of the term of the previous President, while parliamentary elections are held every four years within the final 90 days of the incumbent Parliament’s mandate.

The President of the Republic and Members of the Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia are elected in general, direct and free elections via secret ballot.

The President of the Republic is elected in general and direct elections, by secret ballot, for a term of five years. 

According to the Electoral Code, the election of the President of the Republic is conducted within the country's territory and at the diplomatic and consular missions of the Republic of North Macedonia in Europe and Africa, in North and South America, as well as in Australia and Asia.

According to the Constitution, a citizen over the age of 40 who has been resident in the country for at least 10 of the last 15 years is eligible to stand for the office of president. Candidates can be nominated by at least 10,000 voters or 30 members of parliament.

The candidate must receive the votes of a majority of all registered voters. If no candidate meets this requirement, a second round is held within two weeks between the two candidates who received the highest number of votes. In the second round, the candidate who receives the most votes is elected, provided that there is a turnout of at least 40 per cent of registered voters. Otherwise, the entire election process is repeated.

Before taking up office, the President of the Republic makes a solemn declaration before the Parliament of his/her commitment to respect the Constitution and the laws.

In case of death, resignation, permanent inability to perform his/her duties, or in case of termination of the mandate in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, the office of the President of the Republic is carried out by the Parliament Speaker until the election of the new President. Decisions on the applicability of the conditions, for the cessation of office of the President of the Republic, are the official duty of the Constitutional Court.

The duty of the President of the Republic is incompatible with the performance of any other public office, profession or appointment in a political party. The President of the Republic is granted immunity. The Constitutional Court decides by a two-thirds majority vote of the total number of judges on any case for withholding immunity and approving of detention for the President of the Republic.

The eleventh parliamentary elections will be held on May 8, 2024.

Members of the Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia are elected in general, direct and free elections via secret ballot for a four-year mandate.

Of the 123 seats in the Parliament of the Republic, 120 are elected from six 20-seat constituencies in North Macedonia using closed list proportional representation, with seats allocated using the d'Hondt method.

The remaining three seats are elected by citizens living abroad, but are only filled if the number of votes exceeds that of the elected candidate with the fewest votes in North Macedonia in the previous election. If a list crosses this threshold, it wins one seat; to win two seats, a list needs to win twice the number of votes, and to win three seats the threshold is three times the number of votes.

Every citizen on reaching 18 years of age acquires the right to vote. The right to vote is equal, universal and direct, and is exercised at free elections by secret ballot.

The citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia who on Election Day are temporarily employed or residing abroad and are registered in the Voters List based on the records of the competent organ 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 abroad i.e. consular offices, in accordance with the Electoral Code.

Any person who meets the conditions for election of President of the Republic, as set forth in the Constitution, may stand as candidate for Member of Parliament, provided if he/she is 18 years old; and with active legal capacity.

Candidate for Member of Parliament cannot be a person who has been sentenced with a final court decision for unconditional imprisonment above six months, and serving of the sentence has not commenced yet; and is serving an imprisonment for a committed criminal offence.

The characteristic feature of the 2024 elections will be that they will be held on a Wednesday, and voter identification will once again be carried out using fingerprint scanners.

Photo: MIA archive