The President of the State Election Commission (SEC), Aleksandar Dashtevski, has announced that eleven applications for presidential candidates have been received thus far. Notable individuals among the applicants include Velo Markovski, Biljana Vankovska, Tome Nikolovski, Bujar Osmani, Gospodin Popovski, Maksim Dimitrievski, Stevcho Jakimovski, Arben Taravari, Gjorgji Manaskov, Mersiha Smailovikj, and Zorica Cvetkovska. Additionally, there is one application from an independent Member of Parliament.

Dashtevski emphasized that the deadline for submitting applications is March 8. He highlighted that offices for signature collection are operational from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily across 34 municipalities.

In response to concerns, Dashtevski assured that as of Friday, no complaints or reports of inappropriate conditions during signature collection had been received. He urged political parties to adhere to procedures and the law, pledging immediate action if any issues arise.

Regarding the Alliance for Albanians and its registration for parliamentary elections, Dashtevski stated that necessary documents would be requested from both the Court and the Central Registry. He affirmed the SEC’s commitment to law-abiding processes.

With the overlap of presidential and parliamentary campaigns, Dashtevski clarified the SEC’s adherence to the Electoral Code. He pointed out that Article 69 of the Electoral Code, coupled with the relevant Regulation, dictates an election silence period from midnight on April 22 to the closure of ballot boxes on April 24. Notably, this applies to the first round of presidential elections. Dashtevski underscored the SEC’s call for responsible campaigning during the election silence, focusing solely on parliamentary elections and refraining from discussing presidential contests.