 |
| Safije Sadiki Shahini speaks from the Albanian opposition coalition in North Macedonia |
Albanian opposition parties in North Macedonia, forming the coalition known as the European Change Movement (LEN), have announced their decision to boycott parliamentary proceedings starting this Friday. The move comes in response to the alleged obstruction of a seat in the State Election Commission (SEC) that rightfully belongs to the coalition, according to LEN. The Albanian opposition accuses the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI) of "usurping the SEC" and bypassing the Electoral Code.
Safije Sadiki, co-coordinator of the LEN parliamentary group, stated during a press conference that the Parliament Speaker, Talat Xhaferi, is deliberately introducing obstacles to prevent the opposition from being represented in this electoral body.
"The parliamentary group of the European Change Movement will not participate in the work of the Assembly until our candidate for the SEC, Abdush Demiri, is put on the agenda in a plenary session. This is just the first step. We expect the Macedonian opposition to adhere to its statement that it will abandon the SEC if the Albanian opposition is not granted its representative in this commission," said Sadiki. She emphasized that the representation of the Albanian opposition in the SEC is not just a political interest but a way to "safeguard the foundations for free, fair, and democratic elections."
LEN's efforts to secure a seat in the State Election Commission began months ago, following the establishment of the coalition. These efforts intensified with the announcement of the parliamentary elections set for May 8, 2024.
As of now, BDI has not responded immediately to these accusations from the opposition. Talat Xhaferi, the Parliament Speaker affiliated with BDI, had previously sent letters to both LEN and recently formed parties, PDE and "People's Movement," urging them to propose their candidates for the SEC. The People's Movement promptly declared their disinterest in the position.
Meanwhile, a majority of members in the relevant parliamentary commission for mandates and appointments rejected Abdush Demiri's candidacy from LEN, arguing that he is an official of the BESA party, and the rules stipulate that a candidate for the SEC should not be a party member. Despite Demiri's pledge to officially resign from the party, confirmed by a notarized document, the commission has delayed the process of completing the SEC.
LEN maintains that the only opposition parties, according to the Electoral Code, are Alternativa and the Besa Movement, both of which withdrew from the last parliamentary elections.
It appears that the majority parties prefer to leave the vacant seat in the SEC to the Democratic Party of European Albanians (PDE), which has only one legislator in parliament and did not participate as a political entity in the last parliamentary elections. Analysts see PDE as closely aligned with the ruling parties. The vacancy in the SEC has persisted since Krenar Lloga (from the Alliance for Albanians) departed to assume the position of Minister of Justice in the North Macedonian government.