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North Macedonia

Monthly Event Reports

February 2024 | Parliament passes amendments allowing state funded ads in private media

On 28 February, the Parliament of North Macedonia passed amendments that will allow the government to run advertisements in private media using public resources. The amendments were submitted to parliament in November 2023 in an expedited process, typically utilized for crucial, EU-sought reforms. State advertisements in private media were outlawed in 2018. North Macedonia’s Journalists’ Association and the Independent Union of Journalists and Media Workers have criticized the amendments, voicing concerns about risks to political influence on the media, increased dependency of the media on politics, and disruption of the media market. In 2019, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network had disclosed that the government led by Nikola Gruevski, who is currently a fugitive following a jail sentence for corruption, had funnelled approximately EUR 26 million over seven years into predominantly private media in order obtain favourable coverage.

January 2024 | Parliament agrees on caretaker government; elects first-ever ethnic Albanian PM

Parliament elected Talat Xhaferi from the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI), the largest ethnic Albanian party, to be the caretaker prime minister. Despite the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party securing two ministerial and three deputy positions in the new cabinet, its MPs abstained from voting for Xhaferi. The vote follows the resignation of Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski, in line with a system introduced in 2015 to prevent ruling party interference in the 100 days before elections through the formation of caretaker (technical) governments. Xhaferi's election follows a 2020 coalition agreement between the ruling Social Democrats and BDI, where the appointment of an ethnic Albanian as caretaker PM was a condition. Xhaferi's election as the first ethnic Albanian in this role has been considered historic. Previously, Xhaferi was North Macedonia's first ethnic Albanian defense minister and speaker of parliament.

November 2023 | Court rules against IRL investigative media group

Rights groups and journalists have criticized the Civil Court in Skopje for ruling in favor of businessman and former deputy Prime Minister Koco Angjushev in a defamation case against Investigative Reporting Lab (IRL). They argue that the decision resembles a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP). The court found IRL guilty of harming Angjushev's reputation by airing a documentary linking him to pollution caused by chemical-filled fuel oil. The judge recommended shutting down IRL and imposed a symbolic compensation fee, along with an order to publish the verdict on an entire newspaper page. IRL's editor-in-chief, Saska Cvetkovsk, stated they would pursue justice at the European Court for Human Rights if local courts do not provide it. In December, Angjushev was blacklisted by the US State Department for involvement in “significant corruption.”

September 2023 | Amendments to Criminal Code weaken punishments for public sector corruption

The parliament amended the Criminal Code late on 6 September in a rushed vote to weaken anti-corruption measures in the public sector. The minimum five-year prison sentence for abuse of office was scrapped and the maximum sentence reduced from ten to three years. The European Commission criticized the hurried process and in protest civil society called for President Stevo Pendarovski to veto the legislation. Much speculation surrounds the amendments, with some accusing the government of trying to secure virtual amnesty ahead of upcoming elections and others alleging that the changes were part of a bargain to secure the support of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski for planned constitutional changes. Gruevski is living in exile in Hungary after multiple convictions of abuse of office.

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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
2 065 090
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Talat Xhaferi (since 2024)
Head of government party
Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM)
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
41.7%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2020
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
3.68
Head of state
President Stevo Pendarovski
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
24/01/2019
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
98.82%
Population Tooltip
2 065 090
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Talat Xhaferi (since 2024)
Head of government party
Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM)
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
41.7%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2020
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
3.68
Head of state
President Stevo Pendarovski
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
24/01/2019
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
98.82%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
Signatory
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 4 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 6 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 7 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
Sep 2023
Oct
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Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rights
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Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rule of law
Sep 2023
Oct
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Feb 2024
Representation neutral Participation
Sep 2023
Oct
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Dec
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Feb 2024

Global State of Democracy Indices

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Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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