REFERENDUM    2004

PREELIMINARY STATEMENT

SKOPJE, 08.11.2004

According to the reports received from the observers, during the referendum voting of the citizens on returning the Law on territorial organization of R Macedonia from 1996, Citizens’ Association MOST concludes that the main characteristic of this referendum is low turnout of the citizens, as well as the open boycott of the ruling majority and the Albanian community in Macedonia.  ...more

Before announcing the results gained from our observers, we would like to underline that for the referendum voting CA MOST has engaged 3701 observers, deployed as static observers at 60% of the polling stations in R Macedonia and as mobile teams which were covering the polling stations without static observers.

Regarding the previous announcements, experience gained from the previous elections, monitoring of the referendum campaign and public appearances, especially the part which meant possibilities of not opening the polling stations, CA MOST organized rotating observers who were monitoring the voting at the polling stations outside their residence.

We want to underline that the results announced by MOST refer to the entire territory, i.e. to the regions where citizens were not voting and to the regions where the referendum voting was going on.
 

Summarized irregularities that were found out tonight only from the received reports from MOST observers are: not opening of the polling stations, opening the polling stations with delay, prematurely closed polling stations, interruptions of the voting procedure, as well as dislocation of the polling stations.

CA MOST observers registered raids of unauthorized persons in the polling stations, agitations near the polling stations, blocking of the polling stations as well as police intervention on the call of the Election Boards. 

Ballot stuffing, damaging of the ballot papers, as well as fight after the counting of the ballots were registered.

After summarizing the reports that were coming in from our observers all day long, we have found out:

There were 4 cases of not opening the polling stations, 19 cases of opening the polling stations with delay, 2 cases of dislocation of the polling stations, and 7 cases of prematurely closed polling stations. 4 cases of interruptions of the voting procedure not longer then 1 hour were registered by MOST observers.

4 cases of raids of unauthorized persons are confirmed, and several cases of agitations in front of the polling stations were noticed, but there was only one case of fight between the agitators, noticed in Tetovo. Fight after counting of the ballots was registered in Drachevo.

In Struga and its region interruptions of the voting procedure were registered, raid of unauthorized personas, ballot stuffing, and temporally interruptions of the electricity power. In the town of Kichevo presence of increased number of policemen was registered.

At the and, according to the received data the citizens’ turnout at 19:00 hours on the entire territory of Macedonia is 26, 3%. Invalid ballot papers 0,275%. Out of the valid ballots, there are 95, 05% “FOR” and 4, 95% “AGAINST”. Margin of possible error 1%.

In the beginning we want to underline that the results announced by MOST refer to the entire territory, i.e. to the regions where citizens are not voting and to the regions where the referendum voting is going on.

Irregularities that were found out tonight from the received reports from MOST observers are that some of the polling stations are prematurely closed, incidents like violent ballot stuffing and blocking of the polling stations were registered, police intervention at some polling stations was noticed as well.

1111, 1112- LIpkovo- polling stations are closed at 15.00 hours. The EB has packed the election material and said that the polling station would not be opened again.

1125- Slupchane- Closed at 16:00 hours.

0405- Gostivar- At 16.00 hours the polling station was closed and not opened again.

0404- Gostivar- It was closed, because the members of the EB had to go to mosque, but they have notified they would be back and open the polling station again.

1965- Kikish, Tetovo - Members of the EB did not allow the citizens to vote on the pretext of not being in the voter’s list.

2969- Brothers Ramiz and Hamid, Shuto Orizari – Unauthorized persons entered the polling stations and started threatening the observers and the citizens.

1952- Brothers Migeni, Tetovo- There was a fight between the agitators. The EB joined the fight. The voting was not terminated and after the police inspection the voting process continued.

0638- Suvo Dol, Demir Hisar- An incident was registered; local village person entered the polling station and tore 10 ballot papers. The voting continued and the police was not call to inspect the scene.

According to the information received from our observers, as well as from the citizens phone calls made on the free phone line 080 080 080, a number of irregularities were registered such as: opening of the polling stations with delay, dislocation of the polling stations, interruptions of the voting procedure and public agitations.

MOST observers have reported to the central office that 4 polling stations were not opened at all and 19 polling stations were opened with delay.

Accurately for each polling station, MOST observers registered the following irregularities:

1119 and 1128- Otlja, Kumanovo- The polling station was opened with delay, but after that, on the order of the president of the local community, the polling station was closed.

0413- Gostivar- Dislocation of the polling station was done, because the owner of the private facility where the polling station used to be, did not allow the Election Board to conduct the voting.

1491- Malo Mremorani, Krushevo- there was a 45 minutes interruption of the voting, due to the dispute between the president of the Election Board and its members. After the interruption, the voting continued.

1597- village of Damjan, Radovish- МОСТ observer was asked to leave the facility where the voting was conducted. MOST mobile team immediately visited the polling station and concluded that there were much more ballot papers in the ballot box then previously.   

0745- Kichevo- The voting was interrupted because there was a fight inbetween the members of the Election Board. Inspection was done by the Municipal Election Commission and the police. The voting procedure continued afterwards.

2266- Shtip- Public agitations in front of the polling station was noticed.

TRAINING FOR REGIONAL COORDINATORS

CONDUCTED

Citizen's Association  MOST conducted training for the regional coordinators who will recruit volunteers ahead of the forthcoming referendum.

On the training session the strategy of deployment of domestic observes was discussed and adopted.

                                   ... photos

MOST WILL HAVE OBSERVERS FOR

THE REFERENDUM

Citizen’s Association MOST, in the eve of the forthcoming referendum voting, begins its campaign of recruiting and deploying of the domestic observers.

                                   ... Press release

07.11.2004 Press conference 10:30h

According to the reports geatherd from its observers from the polling sytations, Citizen;s Associastion MOST has found out:

Polling stations:

1087 – Banovo trlo – Kumanovo, 0434 and 0433 – Balin Dol – Gostivar, 0513 – Dolna Gonovica – Gistivar (EB have returned the election material), not opened.

Polling stations opened with delay:
1111 и 1112- Lipkovo- Kumanovo, 1105- Opae- Kumanovo, 1101, 1102 и 1103- Cherkezi- Kumanovo, 1108- Vishtica- Lipkovo, 1846- Struga, 0435- Balin Dol- Gostivar, 0386- PS Petre Jovanovski- Gostivar, 0504 and 0505- Chegrene- Gostivar, 0515 and 0516- Gorna Banica- Gostivar, 2451 and 2452- Kondovo, 2453 and 2454- Dolno Svilare, 04444- Senokos- Negotino (Gostivar region).

This morning, the Polling station 1905 Labunishta – Struga, was dislocated to another location (the explanation is that the building where the polling station was, is to old, so it was dislocated in a new facility)

 On the bases of the conducted PVT program, the turnout of the citizens by 10 o’clock is 3.4%.