OSCE Observers Say 'Shortcomings' in Macedonia Polls
International observers monitoring Macedonia's snap polls this weekend said Monday that "fundamental freedoms" were respected but reported some "shortcomings."
"Yesterday’s elections were effectively administered and election day went smoothly, but there were real problems before and, unfortunately, after the vote," said Christine Muttonen, who led the short-term OSCE observer mission.
Macedonia's ruling conservatives scored a double victory in snap legislative and presidential polls Sunday, officials said, but the opposition cried foul, alleging vote fraud.
The ruling VMRO-DPMNE party won 42.18 percent of the vote in the parliamentary ballot, according to official results.
Its main rival, the opposition Social Democrats (SDSM) garnered 24.9 percent, preliminary results showed.
According to unofficial estimates, VMRO-DPMNE would have 61 deputies in the 123-seat parliament while the opposition could count on 34.
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)observers warned of a "blurring of state and party activities and biased and unbalanced media coverage in favor of the ruling party" before and during the polls.
Shortly after the vote, SDSM leader Zoran Zaev said: "Citizens were duped and the elections have been stolen."
Zaev called for a rerun, accusing the ruling party of "massive" vote-buying and voter intimidation.
He did not substantiate his claims however and the electoral commission said it had not yet received any complaints on alleged irregularities, with the deadline expiring on Tuesday.
The ruling party's Gjorge Ivanov was also reelected to the largely ceremonial post of president.
The polls were called a year ahead of schedule after the VMRO-DPMNE failed to agree with its ethnic Albanian coalition partner, the DUI, on a joint presidential candidate.
Source: Agence France Presse
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