Ahead of elections, OSCE Mission to Skopje facilitates discussions between local political leaders ahead of elections

From 18 February to 1 March 2013, the Monitoring Unit of the OSCE Mission to Skopje held roundtable discussions in 18 municipalities between mayoral candidates, leaders of local branches of political parties involved in the elections process, representatives of Municipal Electoral Commissions, Regional Representatives of the Ombudsman and Sectors for Internal Affairs.

The goal was to promote free and peaceful conduct of local elections scheduled for 24 March 2013.

The OSCE Mission members chairing these events stressed that all participants must be committed to positive and constructive dialogue. They urged them to follow the recommendations of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) following previous elections in the country on the need to respect democratic rules and not engage in any violence or intimidation of voters during the campaign and on the election day. 

The OSCE Mission to Skopje and the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission operate separately under their specific mandates.