78 CSOs from Macedonia addressed a letter to the whole international community requiring the implementation of genuine reforms as they are preconditions for free and fair elections. CSOs emphasized that, albeit the European Commission’s requirement from Macedonian authorities for fulfilling the urgent reform priorities and the experts’ recommendations that should have guaranteed free and fair elections, the situation has not improved at all. Furthermore, they highlighted that it is the addressees who called upon respect of basic EU values as a precondition for overcoming the political crisis in Macedonia. Taking into consideration the latter, CSOs asked the addressees to be consistent in adhering to EU fundamental values and in their insisting on implementing genuine reforms, and to condemn unilaterally the decision for holding elections on April 24th, 2016. Finally, they pointed out that “In the situation of not having fulfilled the conditions for free, fair and democratic elections, which implies a necessary postponement of the date for holding elections, we, the civic activists have no other option but to call on boycott of the elections set for April 24th, and mass protests against the regime that continues to trample the democracy, human rights and rule of law in the Republic of Macedonia”. More information (in Macedonian) can be found here.
Source: Open Society Foundation Macedonia
