Skopje, 2 April 2024 (MIA) – Master debates with all presidential candidates won’t be held, presidential candidate Stevo Pendarovski’s communications team says Tuesday. 

“Unfortunately, despite the best intentions in this process and the cooperation between the campaign headquarters, the political and media circumstances at the moment are not sustainable, thus not allowing conditions to be created to hold these ‘master debates’,” says the press release. 
 
It adds that a consensus was reached for holding two major so called ‘master debates’ following an intensive communication of the campaign headquarters of all the seven candidates. 

“In the spirit of democracy and transparency, the public would have watched an open debate on the issues advocated by the presidential candidates and their programs. Also, candidate Stevo Pendarovski’s headquarters held meetings with executives of the national broadcasters as well as consecutive meetings with officials of the campaign headquarters of the presidential candidates so as to settle open issues, bridge differences and find a way to meet some specific demands,” Pendarovski’s team says. 

The debates, says the press release, were scheduled to take place on neutral ground and to be broadcast by national televisions while also being streamed on social media. 

Photo: MIA archive