Ziadin Sela, leader of the Alliance of Albanians, said that elections can’t be held without an OSCE monitoring mission being deployed to protect against election rigging.

The state will ask this international institution if it is prepared to send a monitoring mission. At the same time, we need to consult with our own Electoral Commission regarding the elections. We agreed that we meet again early next week and determine a final date for the elections, Sela said.

Sela, who is a doctor, also insisted that elections can only be held when the threat of the coronavirus will be reduced to the bare minimum, adding that it can will require warmer temperatures.

DUI party leader Ali Ahmeti also said that the politicians will have to listen to the medical professionals. “They’re the generals now”, Ahmeti said.

The ruling SDSM party insists that elections are held as soon as possible, hoping that low turnout and beating the expected economic crisis will help them in the polls, while the opposition VMRO-DPMNE took the position that human lives must be protected and the elections will have to wait until it is safe to go to the polls.