OSCE Chairman welcomes large compliance of Skopje vote with international standards but regrets isolated irregularities

BRUSSELS, 6 July 2006 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, today welcomed the fact that the parliamentary elections in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia largely met international election norms but regretted reported isolated irregularities. 

"We welcome the improvements that have been made in meeting international standards as well as the conduct of the vote. It showed the country has made progress toward truly democratic voting. However, we regret that acts of violence and intimidation cast a shadow over the campaign," he said.

"It's troubling to see reports of intimidation, ballot stuffing and even violence. This is not in keeping with the OSCE commitments all participating States have agreed to," the  Chairman added. "We call upon the Skopje authorities to investigate this thoroughly and we would hope to see progress on the corrective measures mentioned by the international observers, in particular those from the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)."

Some 380 observers monitored the election on behalf of ODIHR and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). This was the ninth time the OSCE observed elections in the country.