Government spokesmen Dusko Arsovski and Muamet Hoxha at today’s press conference, informed about the decisions and conclusions of the 40th session of the Government and answered questions of interest to the public and the media.

Regarding the media interest in the data presented in the report of “Freedom House”, they emphasized that this report refers to a longer period, ie covers part of the period before 2017, before the formation of the Government led by SDSM, when we witnessed serious setbacks in political processes, handing over power and tackling corruption.

In the past five years, as the spokespersons underlined, the Government has managed to restore freedom in society, trust in institutions and continues to build a free and democratic society in which the respect and protection of the rights of every citizen comes first. This, as they said, can be seen from the improved rating of the government, which according to the report has been increased from 2.25 to 2.5.

Additionally, the Republic of Macedonia is pointed out as a country that has maintained liberal democratic development in 2021, and that it remains consistent with the goal of achieving even better results in terms of building a society that respects civic values, rights and freedoms.

Macedonia is a hybrid regime this year as well. According to Freedom House, the country has been in this position since 2013. In the latest Freedom House report “Nations in Transition” on a scale of one to seven, the overall rating for the country is the same as last year and is 3.82. The country has a score of 3.5 for democratic governance, 4.25 for the electoral process, 5.25 for civil society, 3.25 for independent media and the judiciary, while the score for corruption is 3.

This year, for the first time in the 21st century, the form of government that prevails in the region of nations in transition is a hybrid regime. Four democracies have fallen into this gray area since a continuous period of democratic decline began in 2004: Hungary, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia. In the same period, three authoritarian regimes took democratic steps and joined the ranks of hybrid regimes: Moldova, Kosovo and now Armenia, said Freedom House.

The report said that while these countries may have democratic elections, dysfunctional institutions are still unable to deliver democracy, such as checks, balances, the rule of law and the firm protection of rights and freedoms.