Skopje, 12 August 2025 (MIA) – Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Tuesday that Justice Ministry officials will meet with some of the legal experts who insist that a State Election Commission handbook cannot regulate the participation of independent candidates in elections.

“The Justice Ministry will hold a meeting with some of the experts. We’re waiting to see what they think before we make a move that will be in line with the law. Everything that will be done will be in line with the law,” the Macedonian premier said responding to reporters’ questions during a visit to a Skopje clinic when asked whether a legislation will be passed after several legal experts said that the State Election Commission in a handbook can regulate the participation of independent candidates in the local elections.

On Monday, PM Mickoski said the local election process will not be hindered after the State Election Commission revoked the 2024 handbook regulating the signature collection procedure according to the Electoral Code. The State Election Commission (SEC) is legally obliged to adopt a new one. It depends only on SEC what it will include, according to him.

“The Electoral Code has been in parliamentary procedure for months after being completed. As far as I know, it is being blocked by an opposition party whose demands lack any logic. One of the demands is that any SEC member, regardless of the majority, is given the right to put a veto and it has to be absolute. It’s unheard of everywhere in the world. In other words, they don’t want to see this legislation being passed. If there is political will, the government coalition is absolutely ready to include this item in the agenda and be done with it,” Mickoski said speaking to members of the media after overseeing works for the construction of a school sports hall in Skopje’s Petrovec.

On Saturday, the State Election Commission at a session passed a conclusion revoking the 2024 handbook regulating the signature collection procedure according to the Electoral Code.

The handbook, according to SEC head Boris Kondarko, was revoked as a result of the Constitutional Court decision rescinding Articles 61 and 62 of the Electoral Code, which regulated the number/percentage of signatures to nominate lists of a group of voters.

Photo: MIA