VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski accused the Zaev regime of attempting to violate the electoral code and ignore the obligation to use fingerprint devices as an added security feature during the coming local elections. SDSM has obfuscated through several rounds of talks with VMRO on the implementation of this measure, and today Justice Minister Bojan Maricic casually announecd that a pilot program will be tested in the summer, and if it fails, the devices will not be used.

 

https://english.republika.mk/news/macedonia/justice-minister-maricic-says-he-is-not-sure-the-fingerprint-devices-will-be-in-use-in-time-for-the-local-elections/

 

The changes to the electoral code were adopted by the Parliament with acclamation in February 2020 and they mandate the use of fingerprint devices. It will be done to identify the voter and to ensure there is no double voting. This is a legal obligation and it must be met. Holding elections without this system in place would be a crime, Mickoski said.

VMRO official Igor Janusev, who was engaged in negotiations with SDSM on this issue, said that the ruling party is deliberately postponing the purchase of the devices. “The Government had mooree than enough time to purchase the terminals and there can be no excuses. Zaev is trying to distract the public until it is too late, and then organize elections which he will brutally steal”, Janusev said.

Ethnic Albanian opposition parties, who also blame the ruling DUI party of ballot stuffing, have threatened a boycott if the safety feature is not in place.