Macedonian parliamentary election, 2011
Encyclopedia
An early parliamentary election was held in the Republic of Macedonia
on 5 June 2011, a year earlier than necessary. All 123 parliamentary seats of the Sobranie were due for election, including the 3 seats provided for the first time for representatives of the Macedonian citizens living abroad: 1 from Europe, 1 from North America, and 1 from Asia and Australia. The decision of the ruling parties, the Christian Democratic VMRO-DPMNE and the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration
(DUI), to dissolve the Parliament and call for an early election was preceded by protests of the Social Democratic Union
(SDSM), the major opposition party, and subsequent boycott of the Parliament by them, and by other smaller opposition parties.
won over two thirds of the parliamentary seats in the 2008 early election
.
A bitter dispute between the ruling coalition and the opposition was triggered when a police-assisted raid of public revenue officers took place on 25 November 2010, on a group of related companies including a private TV station, three daily newspapers, and other companies, for alleged tax evasion offenses. The opposition claimed that the media were raided due to their anti-government inclination. The opposing SDSM organised a huge rally on 5 December 2010, in which, according to estimates of the organisers, some 50,000 marched on the main streets of the capital Skopje
and in front of the Parliament building, demanding that charges against the companies and the managers be dropped, and early election. However, the investigation continued, and on 24 December 2010 16 people were charged and detained for suspected tax evasion, abuse of office and money laundering, including the owner of the TV station and several executives.
On 28 January 2011 the opposition SDSM decided to walk out of the Parliament in protest, citing lack of democratic capacity of the government, and demanding early election. The move was followed by the smaller opposition parties in the Parliament – NSDP
, ND
and LP
. DPA
supported the decision, but they were already boycotting the Parliament since 2009.
The ruling coalition initially rejected this request for early election by the opposition, citing strong public support according to the polls, and solid parliamentary majority as main reasons against the opposition's demands. But after a 1-month standoff, during which the opposition SDSM lobbied the EU & US officials, foreign diplomats, and failed to participate in consensus-building on any major political issues, the Prime Minister accepted the request and announced on 23 February 2011 that early elections will eventually take place.
After the failed attempts of the major parties to reach consensus on the changes of the electoral law and other demands of the opposition during March, the Parliament was dissolved on 14 April 2011, and the election was called the next day, with the election date set for 5 June 2011.
Important dates:
After the official results are published, the President
delegates the task of forming a government to the leader of the party or coalition which won most seats in the Parliament. That member has up to 35 days to negotiate with the different parties, and then present his or her government to the Parliament for a vote of confidence. Once the government is approved (by a vote of simple majority), he or she becomes Prime Minister.
SDSM have stated they will nominate Radmila Sekerinska
as PM if they win the elections.
18 parties and coalitions submitted their candidate lists with 1,679 candidates in total. 1,821,122 registered voters can cast their ballots in 2,976 polling stations.
‡ The poll does not include the 3 seats from the diaspora.
♦ The poll does not represent number of parliamentary seats, only percentages of voters.
Only 5 parties and coalitions, out of the 18 listed on the ballots, managed to win parliamentary seats. Several parties that were represented in the previous parliaments didn't win any seats, including VMRO-NP, LDP, and others.
The official final results are presented below. The main opposition coalition led by SDSM conceded the defeat and congratulated the winning coalition led by VMRO-DPMNE.
In a joint statement, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle
hail the multiparty, transparent and well organized elections.
EU Comission president José Manuel Barroso sent a message of congratulations to Mr. Nikola Gruevski, the current Prime Minister and leader of VMRO-DPMNE on the election victory.
On 6 June, a day after the election, Ljube Boskoski
, the leader of the United for Macedonia was arrested on suspicion of illegal party financing and abuse of office. Allegedly, he received 130.000 Euro in illegal funding for his party's campaign.
Most of the smaller parties did not win any seats in the parliament. Of the 18 parties and coalitions listed on the ballot, only 5 won any seats. The leaders of several of the parties that did not win any seats, including the Social Democratic Union, New Democracy, Democratic Right, and the Liberal Democrats, resigned in the days after the election due to the poor results.
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
on 5 June 2011, a year earlier than necessary. All 123 parliamentary seats of the Sobranie were due for election, including the 3 seats provided for the first time for representatives of the Macedonian citizens living abroad: 1 from Europe, 1 from North America, and 1 from Asia and Australia. The decision of the ruling parties, the Christian Democratic VMRO-DPMNE and the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration
Democratic Union for Integration
The Democratic Union for Integration is the largest Albanian political party in the Republic of Macedonia, and the third largest political party in all of Macedonia...
(DUI), to dissolve the Parliament and call for an early election was preceded by protests of the Social Democratic Union
Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia is a centre-left political party in the Macedonia.It is the successor of the League of Communists of Macedonia, the ruling party during the communist regime which ruled SR Macedonia as a constituent republic of SFR Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1990. The current...
(SDSM), the major opposition party, and subsequent boycott of the Parliament by them, and by other smaller opposition parties.
Background
The parliamentary election in Macedonia was due in mid-2012, after the ruling coalition between VMRO-DPMNE and DUIDemocratic Union for Integration
The Democratic Union for Integration is the largest Albanian political party in the Republic of Macedonia, and the third largest political party in all of Macedonia...
won over two thirds of the parliamentary seats in the 2008 early election
Macedonian parliamentary election, 2008
Early parliamentary elections were held in the Republic of Macedonia on 1 June 2008 after the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia voted to dissolve itself on 12 April 2008...
.
A bitter dispute between the ruling coalition and the opposition was triggered when a police-assisted raid of public revenue officers took place on 25 November 2010, on a group of related companies including a private TV station, three daily newspapers, and other companies, for alleged tax evasion offenses. The opposition claimed that the media were raided due to their anti-government inclination. The opposing SDSM organised a huge rally on 5 December 2010, in which, according to estimates of the organisers, some 50,000 marched on the main streets of the capital Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
and in front of the Parliament building, demanding that charges against the companies and the managers be dropped, and early election. However, the investigation continued, and on 24 December 2010 16 people were charged and detained for suspected tax evasion, abuse of office and money laundering, including the owner of the TV station and several executives.
On 28 January 2011 the opposition SDSM decided to walk out of the Parliament in protest, citing lack of democratic capacity of the government, and demanding early election. The move was followed by the smaller opposition parties in the Parliament – NSDP
New Social Democratic Party
The New Social Democratic Party is a centre-left social democratic party in the Republic of Macedonia. Its leader is Tito Petkovski, who parted with the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia in November 2005...
, ND
New Democracy (Macedonia)
New Democracy is a political party of the ethnic Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia. It was founded in 2008 by former members of the Democratic Party of Albanians, another ethnic Albanian party from the Republic of Macedonia...
and LP
Liberal Party of Macedonia
The Liberal Party of Macedonia is a liberal party in the Republic of Macedonia. It was formed in December 1999 after the split of some former members of the old Liberal Party from the Liberal Democratic Party. The party is a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party...
. DPA
Democratic Party of Albanians
The Democratic Party of Albanians or DPA is a political party of the ethnic Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia. The DPA is a merger of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Albanians and the People's Democratic Party which took place in June 1997...
supported the decision, but they were already boycotting the Parliament since 2009.
The ruling coalition initially rejected this request for early election by the opposition, citing strong public support according to the polls, and solid parliamentary majority as main reasons against the opposition's demands. But after a 1-month standoff, during which the opposition SDSM lobbied the EU & US officials, foreign diplomats, and failed to participate in consensus-building on any major political issues, the Prime Minister accepted the request and announced on 23 February 2011 that early elections will eventually take place.
After the failed attempts of the major parties to reach consensus on the changes of the electoral law and other demands of the opposition during March, the Parliament was dissolved on 14 April 2011, and the election was called the next day, with the election date set for 5 June 2011.
Procedures
- 120 Members of Parliament are elected in 6 electoral districts, yielding 20 MPs each by party-list proportional representationParty-list proportional representationParty-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
, using the D'Hondt methodD'Hondt methodThe d'Hondt method is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. The method described is named after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt who described it in 1878...
, with no election thresholdElection thresholdIn party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
.
- 3 Members of Parliament are elected in 3 electoral districts, one in each of: Europe-Africa, North & South America and Asia-Australia by party-list proportional representationParty-list proportional representationParty-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
. Macedonian citizens living in emigration in the respective geographic areas can vote in the Macedonian diplomatic offices. These 3 seats for representatives of the emigration were added to the electoral law in 2011, just before the dissolution of the Parliament.
Important dates:
- The registered voters list must be checked and closed by the State Election Commission until 4 May.
- Independent candidates are allowed to participate, and have to collect 1.000 supporters' signatures between 25 April and 4 May.
- Participating parties, coalitions and independents must submit their candidate lists to the State Election Commission until 5 May.
- Election campaigns commence on 16 May and end on 3 June.
- Voting will take place on 5 June, while expatriates, disabled, military and prisoners vote one day earlier.
- The parliament must be constituted between 10 and 25 June.
After the official results are published, the President
President of the Republic of Macedonia
The President of the Republic of Macedonia is the head of state of the Republic of Macedonia. The institution of the Presidency of the modern Republic of Macedonia began after the Macedonian declaration of independence on 8 September 1991. Its first president was Kiro Gligorov, the oldest president...
delegates the task of forming a government to the leader of the party or coalition which won most seats in the Parliament. That member has up to 35 days to negotiate with the different parties, and then present his or her government to the Parliament for a vote of confidence. Once the government is approved (by a vote of simple majority), he or she becomes Prime Minister.
Parties
The parties, coalitions and independent candidates have to submit candidate lists until 5 May 2011. Separate lists are submitted for each or any electoral districts.SDSM have stated they will nominate Radmila Sekerinska
Radmila Šekerinska
Radmila Šekerinska Jankovska is the former leader of the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia and the leader of the opposition in the Macedonian Parliament...
as PM if they win the elections.
18 parties and coalitions submitted their candidate lists with 1,679 candidates in total. 1,821,122 registered voters can cast their ballots in 2,976 polling stations.
New parties
- National Democratic RevivalNational Democratic RevivalThe National Democratic Revival is a political party in the Republic of Macedonia that represents the Albanian minority.In the 2011 parliamentary election, the party's first election, it received 2.67% of the popular vote, winning 2 seats in the Macedonian Parliament.The National Democratic...
is an ethnic Albanian party that was formed in March 2011. Its leader is Rufi Osmani, mayor of GostivarGostivarGostivar , is a city in the Republic of Macedonia, located in the upper Polog valley region. It is one of the largest municipalities in the country with a population of 81,042, and the town also covers . Gostivar has good road and railway connections with the other cities in the region, such as...
and political activist since the 1990s. - Dostoinstvo (=Dignity) is a new political party led by the former police general Stojance Angelov, formed in March 2011 by the members of the former homonymic NGO, uniting ethnic Macedonian veterans from the conflict of 2001Insurgency in the Republic of MacedoniaThe insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia was an armed conflict which began when the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army militant group attacked the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the beginning of January 2001...
.
Opinion polls
| Source | Date | Party | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VMRO- DPMNE | SDSM Social Democratic Union of Macedonia The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia is a centre-left political party in the Macedonia.It is the successor of the League of Communists of Macedonia, the ruling party during the communist regime which ruled SR Macedonia as a constituent republic of SFR Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1990. The current... |
DUI Democratic Union for Integration The Democratic Union for Integration is the largest Albanian political party in the Republic of Macedonia, and the third largest political party in all of Macedonia... |
DPA Democratic Party of Albanians The Democratic Party of Albanians or DPA is a political party of the ethnic Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia. The DPA is a merger of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Albanians and the People's Democratic Party which took place in June 1997... |
ND New Democracy (Macedonia) New Democracy is a political party of the ethnic Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia. It was founded in 2008 by former members of the Democratic Party of Albanians, another ethnic Albanian party from the Republic of Macedonia... |
OM | NDA | LDP Liberal Democratic Party (Republic of Macedonia) The Liberal Democratic Party is a liberal party in the Republic of Macedonia. The Liberal Democratic Party was launched in April 1997 as a merger between the Liberal Party and the Democratic Party... |
VMRO-NP | Others | ||
| Dnevnik/Rating‡ | 15 Apr | 51 | 32 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | − | 4 |
| AlfaTV/Pavel Šatev‡ | 15 Apr | 55 | 31 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | − | 4 |
| Kanal5/Pavel Šatev‡ | 17 Apr | 55 | 31 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| ISPPI♦‡ | 18 Apr | 21.8% | 19.8% | 8.8% | 5.9% | 1.9% | 1.1% | 4.5% | − | 1.2% | − |
| NetPress/Progress♦‡ | 26 Apr | 19.1% | 20.3% | 8.2% | 5.4% | 2.2% | 1.4% | 3.1% | 0.2% | 1.8% | 37.5% |
| Dnevnik/Rating‡ | 26 May | 48 | 35 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | – |
‡ The poll does not include the 3 seats from the diaspora.
♦ The poll does not represent number of parliamentary seats, only percentages of voters.
Result
Voter turnout was 63,48%. 7,851 accredited observers monitored the election, including representatives from OSCE, ODIHR, and others. The election went smoothly and without incidents.Only 5 parties and coalitions, out of the 18 listed on the ballots, managed to win parliamentary seats. Several parties that were represented in the previous parliaments didn't win any seats, including VMRO-NP, LDP, and others.
The official final results are presented below. The main opposition coalition led by SDSM conceded the defeat and congratulated the winning coalition led by VMRO-DPMNE.
| Party/Coalition | Abbreviation | Number of votes | % of votes | Number of seats won | Seats change from dissol. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VMRO-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity, Socialist Party of Macedonia Socialist Party of Macedonia The Socialist Party of Macedonia is a political party in the Republic of Macedonia founded on 22 September 1990 as a successor of the Socialist Alliance of the Working People of Macedonia. The SPM proclaims that it is a left-wing democratic socialist party. The SPM was part of the coalition... , Democratic Union, Democratic Renewal of Macedonia Democratic Renewal of Macedonia The Democratic Renewal of Macedonia is a centre-left political party in the Republic of Macedonia. The party split from the bigger Social Democratic Union of Macedonia several years ago. At the last legislative elections, 5 July 2006, the party won 1 out of 120 seats.- External links :... , Democratic Party of Turks of Macedonia Democratic Party of Turks The Democratic Party of Turks is a political party of the Turkish minority in the Republic of Macedonia.The Party currently has one member, Kenan Hasipi, in the Macedonian parliament.-External links:*... , Democratic Party of Serbs in Macedonia, Union of Roma in Macedonia Union of Roma in Macedonia The Union of Roma in Macedonia is a political party in the Republic of Macedonia.At the last legislative elections, 5 July 2006, the party won 1 out of 120 seats as part of coalition led by the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization–Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity.... , UNITED PARTY FOR EMANCIPATION, PARTY OF JUSTICE, PARTY OF DEMOCRATIC ACTION OF MACEDONIA, PARTY OF THE VLACHS FROM MACEDONIA, PARTY FOR INTEGRATION OF THE ROMA, BOSHNJAK DEMOCRATIC PARTY, DEMOCRATIC FORCES OF THE ROMA, PERMANENT MACEDONIAN RADICAL REUNION-TMRO, NEW LIBRAL PARTY, PEOPLES MOVEMENT FOR MACEDONIA, VMRO-DP, VMRO–UNITED, HOMELAND MACEDONINAN ORGANIZATION FOR RADICAL RECONSTRUCTION – VARDAR–EGEJ–PIRIN, MACEDONIAN ALIANCE, and VMRO-MACEDONIAN |
VMRO-DPMNE | 438,138 | 38.98 | 56 | 7 |
| Social Democratic Union of Macedonia Social Democratic Union of Macedonia The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia is a centre-left political party in the Macedonia.It is the successor of the League of Communists of Macedonia, the ruling party during the communist regime which ruled SR Macedonia as a constituent republic of SFR Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1990. The current... , New Social Democratic Party New Social Democratic Party The New Social Democratic Party is a centre-left social democratic party in the Republic of Macedonia. Its leader is Tito Petkovski, who parted with the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia in November 2005... , Party for European Future Party for European Future The Party for European Future is a political party in the Republic of Macedonia which largely represents the Macedonian Muslims.... , Liberal Party of Macedonia Liberal Party of Macedonia The Liberal Party of Macedonia is a liberal party in the Republic of Macedonia. It was formed in December 1999 after the split of some former members of the old Liberal Party from the Liberal Democratic Party. The party is a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party... , MOVEMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY OF TURKS IN MACEDONIA, SERBIAN ADVANCED PARTY IN MACEDONIA, PARTY FOR TOTAL EMANCIPATION OF ROMA, NEW ALTERNATIVE, ALIANCE OF TITO'S LEFT FORCES, PARTY FOR MOVEMENT OF THE TURKS IN MACEDONIA, DEMOCRATIC UNION OF THE SERBS FROM MACEDONIA, DEMOCRATIC UNION OF THE VLACHS FROM MACEDONIA, PARTY OF FREE DEMOCRATS, PARTY OF PENSIONERS OF RM, AND SANDZAK'S LEAGUE |
SDSM | 368,496 | 32.78 | 42 | 18 |
| Democratic Union for Integration Democratic Union for Integration The Democratic Union for Integration is the largest Albanian political party in the Republic of Macedonia, and the third largest political party in all of Macedonia... |
DUI | 115,092 | 10.24 | 15 | 3 |
| Democratic Party of Albanians Democratic Party of Albanians The Democratic Party of Albanians or DPA is a political party of the ethnic Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia. The DPA is a merger of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Albanians and the People's Democratic Party which took place in June 1997... |
DPA | 66,315 | 5.90 | 8 | 1 |
| National Democratic Revival National Democratic Revival The National Democratic Revival is a political party in the Republic of Macedonia that represents the Albanian minority.In the 2011 parliamentary election, the party's first election, it received 2.67% of the popular vote, winning 2 seats in the Macedonian Parliament.The National Democratic... |
NDR | 29,996 | 2.67 | 2 | 2 |
| VMRO – People's Party | VMRO-NP | 28,217 | 2.51 | 0 | 0 |
| New Democracy New Democracy (Macedonia) New Democracy is a political party of the ethnic Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia. It was founded in 2008 by former members of the Democratic Party of Albanians, another ethnic Albanian party from the Republic of Macedonia... |
ND | 19,958 | 1.78 | 0 | 4 |
| United for Macedonia United for Macedonia United for Macedonia is a political party in the Republic of Macedonia. It has been founded by Ljube Boškoski, a former interior minister and former member of conservative VMRO-DPMNE, who is the leader of the party.-History:After having been acquitted of all charges against him at the... |
OM | 17,081 | 1.52 | 0 | 0 |
| Liberal Democratic Party Liberal Democratic Party (Republic of Macedonia) The Liberal Democratic Party is a liberal party in the Republic of Macedonia. The Liberal Democratic Party was launched in April 1997 as a merger between the Liberal Party and the Democratic Party... |
LDP | 16,551 | 1.47 | 0 | 4 |
| Political Party Dignity | PPD | 8,837 | 0.79 | 0 | 0 |
| Democratic Union of Albanians | DUA | 4,517 | 0.40 | 0 | 0 |
| Party of United Democrats of Macedonia | PODEM | 4,395 | 0.39 | 0 | 0 |
| Social Democratic Union | SDU | 2,270 | 0.20 | 0 | 0 |
| Social Democratic Party of Macedonia | SDPM | 1,807 | 0.16 | 0 | 0 |
| Democratic Right | / | 1,517 | 0.13 | 0 | 0 |
| National Democratic Union | NDU | 470 | 0.04 | 0 | 0 |
| Party for Democratic Prosperity Party for Democratic Prosperity The Party for Democratic Prosperity or PDP is an ethnic Albanian political party in the Republic of Macedonia. The party was formed in April 1990 and is currently led by Abdyladi Vejseli.... |
PDP | 277 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 |
| European Party of Macedonia | / | 130 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 |
| Total (turnout 63,48%) | 1,124,064 | 100 | 123 | 3 |
- Source: State Election Commission of Macedonia
Reactions & Aftermath
In his election victory speech, Mr. Nikola Gruevski said that in the next term the government "will work on attracting investments and creating jobs, on EU and NATO membership with our dignity intact, the fight against corruption, maintaining good multi-ethnic relations and supporting education, which is key to the future".In a joint statement, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle
Štefan Füle
Štefan Füle is a Czech politician and diplomat, since 2009 European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy in the second Barroso Commission.- Early life :...
hail the multiparty, transparent and well organized elections.
EU Comission president José Manuel Barroso sent a message of congratulations to Mr. Nikola Gruevski, the current Prime Minister and leader of VMRO-DPMNE on the election victory.
On 6 June, a day after the election, Ljube Boskoski
Ljube Boškoski
Ljube Boškoski , known among his supporters as "Brother Ljube" , is a Macedonian politician and former Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia.He supervised an elite special operations tactical unit of the Macedonian police in his capacity as Minister of Internal...
, the leader of the United for Macedonia was arrested on suspicion of illegal party financing and abuse of office. Allegedly, he received 130.000 Euro in illegal funding for his party's campaign.
Most of the smaller parties did not win any seats in the parliament. Of the 18 parties and coalitions listed on the ballot, only 5 won any seats. The leaders of several of the parties that did not win any seats, including the Social Democratic Union, New Democracy, Democratic Right, and the Liberal Democrats, resigned in the days after the election due to the poor results.