Македонски
The Media Development Centre prepared, in advance of the coming changes of the electoral legislation, the Policy Paper “The Media in Election Cycles and the Need for Changes of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Macedonia”.
The changes of the electoral legislation, which are part of the “March Agreement” of the Government and the opposition, should incorporate the recommendations issued by OSCE/ODIHR after the last Parliamentary Elections in 2011.
A number of recommendations refer to the media coverage of election campaigns and media presentation of political parties and candidates running in elections.
Fair and democratic elections are impossible without a fair, balanced and equitable treatment and coverage of all participants in the electoral contest, in order to enable the citizens to make an informed decision who should they vote for.
In the process of preparation of the Policy Paper, MDC held a series of consultative meetings with representatives of political parties represented in the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, media and journalists’ organizations, and NGOs that work in the areas of monitoring of election processes, human rights and freedom of expression.
The Policy Paper, prepared under the auspices of the USAID Project for Media Legal Reform and Responsible Media will be submitted, together with the conclusions from the debate “The Media in Electoral Legislation”, held on September 12, 2013, to the political parties, the Government of Macedonia and the Ministry of Justice, international organizations and institutions, and other stakeholders.
The Policy Paper “Media in Election Cycles and the Need of Changes of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Macedonia” is attached to this article.
