TIMEBALKAN Editor-in-Chief evaluates the elections in North Macedonia to MILLET

Balkans
Wed, 24 Apr 2024 6:48 GMT
Seyyid Emin, Editor-in-Chief of TIMEBALKAN News Website, which broadcasts in Turkish in North Macedonia, evaluated the elections to be held in the country to MİLLET.
TIMEBALKAN Editor-in-Chief evaluates the elections in North Macedonia to MILLET

Seyyid Emin, Editor-in-Chief of TIMEBALKAN News Website, which broadcasts in Turkish in North Macedonia, evaluated the presidential election to be held tomorrow and the parliamentary elections to be held on 8 May for MİLLET.

Presidential elections will be held in North Macedonia today (24 April). The second round of the presidential election will be held two weeks later on 8 May, together with the parliamentary elections in the country.

According to the last census conducted in the neighbouring country of North Macedonia, 58.44 percent of the residents of North Macedonia were Macedonian, 24.3 percent were Aranvut, 3.86 percent were Turkish, 2.53 percent were Roma, 1.3 percent were Serbian, 0.87 percent were Bosniak and 0.47 percent were Vlach.

The ethnic distribution of 1 million 836 thousand 713 citizens residing in North Macedonia; 1 million 73 thousand 299 Macedonians, 446 thousand 245 Albanians, 70 thousand 961 Turks, 46 thousand 433 Roma, 23 thousand 847 Serbs, 16 thousand 42 Bosnians and 8 thousand 714 Vlachs.

In North Macedonia, especially the second round of the presidential election and the parliamentary elections to be held on 8 May are of great importance for the Turks in the country.

Seyyid Emin, Editor-in-Chief of TIMEBALKAN News Website, which broadcasts in Turkish in North Macedonia, evaluated the pulse of the Turks, especially in the neighbouring country, regarding the elections for MILLET.

Seyyid EMİN said that Macedonian Turks are facing a historical opportunity especially in the Parliamentary elections to be held on 8 May.

MILLET: You are going to the polls today for the presidential election. Could you give some general information? How often are elections held? What is the electoral system, how many people can be elected? What is the situation and attitude of minorities and especially Turks in these elections?

TIMEBALKAN Editor-in-Chief Seyyid EMIN: Presidential elections in North Macedonia are organised every 5 years. Presidential elections must be held within the last 60 days of the previous President's term of office. If the term of office of the President of the Republic expires for any reason whatsoever, new presidential elections are organised within 40 days from the day the term of office ends. A presidential candidate may be submitted with at least 10,000 voter signatures or 30 MP signatures.

Presidential elections are held in two rounds. If a candidate receives the majority of the total number of voters registered in the electoral register, he/she is elected president in the first round. If no candidate for the presidency receives the required majority of votes in the first round, a vote is held in the second round for the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes in the first round and the candidate receiving the highest number of votes is elected president.

In the presidential elections to be held tomorrow for the 7th time since the independence of the country, 5 Macedonian and 2 Albanian candidates are competing, while there is no Turkish candidate. The first round of the presidential elections will be held tomorrow and the second round will be held on 8 May on the same day with the parliamentary elections.

The country has entered a very important and unpredictable electoral process, with the change of its constitutional name, accession to NATO, constitutional amendments necessary for the continuation of EU negotiations, and the establishment of new political parties and alliances.

Turks in the country are participating in these elections with 4 political formations, including 3 Turkish political parties and a movement established before the 2024 elections. The Turkish Democratic Party (TDP) is participating in the 2024 elections in the "European Front Alliance", which was established by bringing together different communities in the country such as Turks, Bosnians and Roma under the leadership of the Union for Democratic Integration (BDI), which has been in power for nearly 20 years from the Albanian wing.

The Movement for Rights and Democracy of Macedonian Turks also participates in these elections in the aforementioned "European Front Alliance". These two Turkish political formations support the presidential candidate of the alliance in tomorrow's presidential elections, Dr. Bujar Osmani, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Turkish National Unity Movement (TMBH) is participating in these elections in the "Your Macedonian" Coalition led by the main opposition party VMRO DPMNE and supports the coalition's candidate Prof. Dr. Gordana Siljanovska Davkova.

The Turkish Movement Party (THP) is taking part in the 2024 elections in the Coalition "For the European Future" led by the ruling Union of Social Democrats of Macedonia (SDSM) and supports the current president, Stevo Pendarovski.

In addition to the aforementioned candidates, Dr Arben Taravari, the presidential candidate of the Albanian opposition coalition VLEN (Value), Stevcho Yakimovski, the mayor of Karpoş, one of Skopje's district municipalities, Biljana Vankovska, the candidate of Levica (LEFT) and Maksim Dimitrievski, the chairman of the ZNAM Party, will compete in the first round of the elections.

If there is no big surprise, it seems that the presidential candidates of the ruling SDSM and the opposition VMRO DPMNE will make it to the second round. If the vote rates of the other 3 candidates other than the two strong candidates and the two Albanian candidates increase, one of the two Albanian candidates has a small chance of making it to the second round, but it seems to be an option that should not be completely excluded.

During the election campaign, the Albanian candidates argued that in the future the president should be elected by the parliament and not by the nation in order to represent the multi-ethnic structure of the country.

MİLLET: How many candidates are running. Who are the Turks supporting. We see that there are also Turkish candidates, is it possible for them to be elected? Also, what are the issues you attach importance to at this point?

TIMEBALKAN Editor-in-Chief Seyyid EMIN: On 8 May, Macedonian Turks are facing a historic opportunity in the parliamentary elections. Since the elections will be held in 6 different electoral districts, the Turks in the country have the opportunity to double the number of deputies they have won so far with the different alliances they have joined, and even to form a group in the Parliament by creating 5 deputies.

On 8 May, two Turkish parliamentary candidates are the list bearers in the General Elections. The European Alliance Front, led by the Union for Democratic Integration (UDI), has Prof. Dr. Suleyman Baki as list bearer for the 3rd Electoral District (North East Macedonia) and Enver Hussein from the Turkish Democratic Party (TDP) as list bearer for the 4th Electoral District (South East Macedonia).

TDP President Beycan Ilyas, from the same Alliance, ranks 6th in the 6th Electoral District (Gostivar and Tetovo), while Salih Murat, former President of the Constitutional Court, ranks 8th in the same constituency. The election of 2 Turkish candidates in the 6th constituency is considered certain.

In the 5th Electoral District (Centre Jupa, Plasnitsa, Kirchova region), where there is a significant Turkish population, Ismail Yahoski, who was elected as an MP from BDI in the previous term, is in the 4th place, while Fehmi Skender from TDP is in the 5th place.

Participating in the 2024 elections with the "Your Macedonian" Coalition led by the main opposition party VMRO DPMNE, Turkish National Unity Movement (TMBH) President Erdoğan Saraç will compete in the 4th place in the 6th Electoral District.

Enes Ibrahim, President of the Turkish Movement Party (THP), who participated in the elections this year with the European Future Coalition led by the ruling Union of Social Democrats of Macedonia (SDSM), is in 5th place in the 5th Electoral District.

There are many more Turkish candidates for parliamentary seats in this year's parliamentary elections than in previous years due to the different topics and reasons mentioned earlier, each of which needs to be analysed separately.

After the 8 May elections, there could be at worst a minimum of 3 Turkish MPs and at best a maximum of 8.

With the right strategy and planning, unity and solidarity, Macedonian Turks can have a record number of representation in the legislative body, the Parliament.

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