The State Election Commission (SEC) at Friday’s session has unanimously decided to increase the pay by 100% to the members of the electoral boards for participating in the electoral process.

Members of the electoral boards will receive 100% pay increase, members of the municipal electoral boards will get 20% extra pay while healthcare workers will receive Mden 6,000 (EUR 100).

“We proposed to amend the SEC rules of procedure, adopted in February, due to the new situation with the short deadlines we faced with the several delays in the early parliamentary elections, as well as COVID-19 situation that could seriously affect the health of voters and members of electoral boards who participated in the administering the elections,” SEC member Elizabeta Postolovska said.

She said they unanimously agreed that the pay of members of the electoral boards should be increased by 100% as they were most directly exposed to contact with voters that put them at risk to their health.

“Members of the municipal electoral boards will get 20% pay increase for organizing and successfully administering the elections. And healthcare workers who were members of the special electoral boards that successfully conducted the polling of citizens who have tested positive for COVID-19 and were quarantining at home and those who were self-isolated and they will receive Mden 6,000 (EUR 100),” she added.

SEC President Oliver Derkovski underlined that the amounts do not exceed the budget limit, given that funds have been saved from those provided for out-of-country voting as well as for public procurement.