While voters are largely free to make political decisions, reports of intimidation and vote buying remain common. Patronage networks remain influential in political life and can influence political outcomes. Human trafficking remains a problem, reads the latest report of Freedom House.

The report says that due process rights remain compromised by corruption and patronage within the justice system, in which the public has little confidence.

Political interference in the work of prosecutors remains a problem. The selective application of justice also persists, although the government has carried out some reforms intended to ameliorate the issue. The 2019 arrest of the special prosecutor has also weakened the SDSM government’s overall anticorruption agenda. The informal economy is large, leaving many workers vulnerable to employer abuse. Concerns remain about the efficacy and independence of the judiciary. Corruption remains a serious problem, and there has been widespread impunity for corrupt government officials, including members of parliament and the judiciary, reads the report.