Tuesday’s attempt to reach a political agreement on the draft Electoral Code issue, too, ended unsuccessfully. Despite several hours of talks between Coordinators of Parliamentary Groups, the most contentious issues — the voting model for diaspora members, the single electoral district issue, and the method by which the State Election Commission (SEC) will make decisions related to the implementation of the new rules — remain unresolved.
VMRO-DPMNE said it was ready to accept all proposals from opposition parties — the country becoming a single electoral district and the model for funding political parties — provided its proposal for the diaspora to vote by mail was accepted. The ruling coalition proposed for the details of that voting process to be regulated by a bylaw of the SEC no later than September 30, 2028.
On the other hand, SDSM again said it was not against the voting by expatriates, but rather against a model that, according to the party, opens the door to electoral manipulations. Levica reiterated that a compromise was only possible if a single electoral district was introduced. Party leader Apasiev proposed for the voting by mail to be first tested in a presidential election rather than parliamentary polls, while categorically rejecting electronic voting, citing risks of misuse. DUI said that negotiations were practically over.
