Skopje, 12 September 2025 (MIA) — With 73 votes in favor and no votes against, Parliament adopted Friday a declaration on holding fair, free and democratic local elections.

The parliamentary declaration was submitted by Parliament Speaker Afrim Gashi and party whips. It affirms voters' right to a direct vote in a free and secret ballot and strongly condemns family and group voting as a means of manipulating citizens' votes and influencing election results.

The declaration notes the need of fair and democratic election campaigns, urging tolerance and respect between different political and ideological views. It also strongly condemns smear campaigns against candidates as well as any form of electoral corruption. 

According to Gashi, the declaration showed all parties' commitment to ensuring voters have "equal and equitable conditions to freely elect their representatives in the municipalities and the capital." 

"We want elections where political competition will take place without incidents and conflicts, without pressure and fear, without derision and insults, but instead in a healthy democratic environment," Gashi said.

He said the Oct. 19 elections should serve as "an example of a consolidated and mature democracy." 

"We have a duty to show our democracy is maturing and we are capable of competing without fear and violence," the parliament speaker said.

Skender Rexhepi of the opposition European Front coalition, who was the first to speak, said he would not support the declaration. He said it was just a blank sheet of paper that had no meaning in practice because the points it contained had no connection to reality.

The European Front parliamentary group whip Blerim Bexheti, however, said they were signing the declaration to give the process of fair and democratic elections a chance.

During the parliamentary debate, MPs from the ethnic Albanian party bloc exchanged inappropriate words, after which SDSM MP Fatmir Bytyqi requested a 10-minute break to, as he said, "restore parliamentary dignity."

ZNAM MP and Deputy Parliament Speaker Vesna Bendevska criticized MPs for not addressing any of the points of the declaration during the debate and said that fair and democratic elections were those that would reflect the citizens' free will. mr/