The Right to Vote in Conditions when the Ruling Party Equals the State. Case Study on Macedonia: Progressive Control, Regressive Democratization
The Right to Vote in Conditions when the Ruling Party Equals the State. Case Study on Macedonia: Progressive Control, Regressive Democratization

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines the legitimacy vs. the legality of the electoral process having the right to vote as one of the main indicators of democratization. To be more precise, it will closely analyze the last 10 years of governance and the settings in the Macedonian society where no clear separation of powers is present along with explicit usurpation of public institutions by the ruling political party. Having this Orwellian setting with the state as the main source of employment, control on public institutions, influence on judiciary, interception of citizens’ communications, ordered news stories streamed through media and exaggerated propaganda during political campaigns, this essay will delve into the content vs. the bare legal form of elections. If elections define democracy and voting is regarded as mechanism for expressing free will, in Macedonia it is questionable if this is imposed (free) will based on citizens’ direct dependence on the political party in power. The research is based on elections monitoring reports by the OSCE/ODIHR mission as well as the progress reports of the EU institutions. The opinions and recommendations in this paper are directed not only to the current government in Macedonia, but also refer to all democratically elected governments and authorities that underestimate the power of citizens. Because, that is what the quest for democracy urges us to do – holding politicians accountable for their actions, having people in power that represent citizens with dignity and never forget the source of their legitimacy.

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