Macedonian Constitutional Court to Prepare for Parliamentary Elections

The Constitutional Court of Macedonia ordered Wednesday to halt preparations for parliamentary elections scheduled for early June, regional media reported.

BELGRAD (Sputnik) – All nine judges unanimously recognized the April 7 dissolution of the country’s parliament unconstitutional which resulted in halting all preparations for the elections scheduled on June 5, Balkan Insight media outlet reported.

The court’s Wednesday decision is temporary. The final one is to be reached next week.

The judicial inquiry into the legitimacy of the parliament’s dissolution was initiated by the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), the largest Albanian party in Macedonia that decided to boycott the coming elections.

Constitutional court suspends Macedonia vote campaign https://t.co/3qXb2o38aL

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​Along with the DUI other two big Macedonian parties — the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) and the Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA) – also decided not to participate in the elections saying that the country lacks reforms securing fair and open elections.

As a result only the ruling Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) was going to take part in elections which sparked both internal and EU concern whether they will be democratic.

The political crisis in Macedonia erupted in 2015 and escalated on April 12 after President Gjorge Ivanov’s decision to pardon 56 top politicians and their associates targeted in various investigations. In return, Macedonian opposition launched protests aimed at withdrawing the pardon, changing the date of elections and resignation of Ivanov.