Brussels, 19/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 19 May, the European Union hesitantly hailed the postponement of the parliamentary elections that were due to take place in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on 5 June.
Reiterating the statement of 18 May from High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, Mogherini's spokesperson told EUROPE that there were “not the conditions in place for holding credible elections, because the reforms have not been made”. She said the political parties all now needed to do what was necessary, particularly with regard to the preparation of credible elections. Kocijancic also stated that the different parties should respect the political agreement of June-July 2015 (see EUROPE 11360).
Elsewhere, Robert de Groot, the director-general for European coordination in the Netherlands (the country currently holding the rotating presidency of the EU), is in FYROM on 19-20 May and due to meet the minister for foreign affairs, Nikola Poposki, and the leaders of the four parties that signed the political agreement - the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI), the Democratic Party of Albanians (PDSH) and the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation - Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE).
During the evening of Wednesday 18 May, the Macedonian Parliament decided to postpone the parliamentary elections indefinitely that were due to be held on 5 June, and which were boycotted by three of the four main parties. The postponement resulted from the adoption of a change to the electoral law by 96 of a total of 123 parliamentarians. The parliamentarians had been summoned by the president of the parliament, despite the parliament being dissolved on 7 April. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)