ECMI Proposes New Electoral Model

22 February 2006

The European Centre for Minority Issues � ECPM presented its proposal for changes in the Election Law, with recommendations to develop and promote realistic and just multiethnic society. The proposal was prepared by the expert group for citizen rights working under the �Roma Expert Groups for Roma Integration�, established by ECMI.

The proposed changes include implementation of the existing proportional model for election of 120 MPs in six election districts, accompanied with changes that would reserve 12 seats in the Sobranie (Macedonian Parliament) for the representatives of smaller ethnic communities (communities with less than 20% share in the total population of the country), elected on the basis of nation-wide lists, in accordance with the proportional model.

Unlike the existing electoral models, the ECMI proposal offers additional seats for the smaller ethnic communities, open lists that offers a possibility for the voter to circle the exact candidate that wins the vote, competition of political parties within an ethnic community, as well as competition inside the political parties.

ECMI proposes that Macedonia is treated as a singly electoral district for the smaller ethnic communities, and the 12 seats should be distributed in accordance with the share of the given community in the total population: four seats for the Turkish community; three for the Roma; three seats for the Serbian community; one seat for the Vlach and the Bosnian community each.

According to ECMI, the ballot, identical for all electoral districts, should be divided in two segments: the first part will list the candidates for 20 MPs on the proportional lists in the 6 districts, while the second will refer to the political parties of the smaller ethnic communities who will compete for the additional 12 seats in the Sobranie.