DIPLOCAT to observe parliamentary elections in Macedonia

Barcelona (CNA).- The Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (Diplocat) is organising an Election Observation Mission to Macedonia. The team, formed by eleven observers who are trained in international electoral observation, has been invited by the Electoral Commission of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to attend the early parliamentary elections that will take place on the 11^th of December. This is not the first time that Catalonia’s Public Diplomacy Council sends an observation mission to another country; recently, in October, they travelled to Morocco and so far they have also been present at elections in Uruguay, Costa Rica and Armenia. According toDiplocat’s Secretary General, Albert Royo, Catalonia must “contribute to those tasks which help advance democracy” if it wants to be considered a committed, serious, and responsible international actor”.

“If Catalonia wants to be considered a committed, serious, and responsible international actor we must be willing and able to contribute to those tasks which help advance democracy”, stated Diplocat’s Secretary General, Albert Royo. According to him, it is important to “defend fundamental rights” such as electoral processes like the one taking place in Macedonia, and even more considering “its context of political instability”.

The Catalan observers are currently following the final days of the election campaign and the preparations for the vote in the regions of Skopje, the Northeast, the Southwest, and Pegalonia. They have met with different actors involved in the election process, as well as government authorities, political parties, candidates, representatives of civil society, and the media. On Sunday they will observe the actual vote itself, the vote count, the compiling of the results, and the final announcement of the results.

Diplocat’s observers are subject to a code of conduct which obliges them to remain neutral and impartial and not to interfere in the electoral process. The election observation mission will publish a report evaluating the vote with recommendations shortly after the vote itself.

This is not the first time that Catalonia’s Public Diplomacy Council sends an observation mission to another country; recently, in October, they travelled to Morocco and so far they have also been present at elections in Uruguay, Costa Rica and Armenia.