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[DraganOfStip]

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/macedonia-electoral-roll-hides-many-inconsistencies--03-08-2016

App Fuels Worries About Macedonia Voters' Roll

Electoral Commission insists it will clean up the disputed electoral roll in time for the June elections - after the launch of web app allowing people to check the list added to concerns.

Sinisa Jakov Marusic, BIRN Skopje

Members of the State Election Commission, DIK, say the many inconsistencies in the electoral roll spotted by individuals, the media and political parties since the launch of an app last week will be dealt with before the June 5 early elections.

Bedredin Ibrahimi, a member of the DIK, says there is no cause for panic about the timeframe.

“The app was launched for citizens to have an insight and help clean up the electoral roll… there is no need for drama about it. We will finish our job on time," he said.

"The principle is simple, only those [voters] who meet the conditions will stay on the list," Ibrahimi added.

The web app launched by the DIK allows people to check how many voters are listed at their own address and at other addresses.

It has revealed what appear to be widespread inconsistencies on the electoral roll.

Users have reported many cases of dozens of people being listed at same addresses, which are not known to house any of those people.

The discoveries have added to longstanding fear that the voters' roll is full of fictive voters, used in the past to tip election results to the advantage of the government parties.

“One address in Skopje contains 35 voters. Another holds 15 people that are listed as voters in two different polling stations; 35 voters are listed at addresses of public institutions,” the opposition Social Democrats, SDSM, said on Tuesday.

The main ruling VMRO DPMNE party of Nikola Gruevski, which was widely accused in the past of election rigging and whose former ministers are now suspects in an election-rigging case launched by the Special Prosecution, accused the SDSM of seeking an alibi for losing the next election.

“The despair and panic in the SDSM ahead of the elections can be seen from the moon,” the ruling party stated, adding that the opposition cannot make any more excuses “now that it controls the DIK and the Ministry of Interior [now under a minister from opposition ranks]”. The two institutions are directly in charge of the electoral roll.

Meanwhile, the DIK said that the ongoing cross-referencing of data contained in various institutions, in order to filter out fictive voters, is expected to wrap up on Friday.

Afterwards, DIK teams will begin a field check of voters from door to door in order to address outstanding problems – although the scope of this operation is not yet known.

Currently, the electoral roll contains more than 1.8 million voters. The OSCE, which has monitored Macedonian elections in the past, has described it as unusually large for a country of just over 2 million people.

The opposition says the ruling VMRO DPMNE party, which has won nine consecutive elections since 2006 - parliamentary, presidential and local - has an interest in concealing fictive or deceased voters on the electoral roll.

The crisis in Macedonia escalated last February, when the opposition started releasing batches of covertly recorded tapes, which it said showed that the VMRO DPMNE-led government was behind the alleged illegal surveillance of some 20,000 people, including ministers.

The opposition insists that the tapes contain incriminating evidence against many senior officials, including proof of high-level corruption, government influence over the judiciary, prosecution, businesses and media, politically-motivated arrests and imprisonments, electoral violations and even an attempted cover-up of a murder of a man by a police officer.

Gruevski, who has held power as Prime Minister since 2006 until he resigned last month, says the tapes were “fabricated” by unnamed foreign intelligence services and given to the opposition in order to destabilise the country.

[DraganOfStip]

After the cross-examination, the State Electoral Commission found almost half a million disputable voters that need to be checked.
Over 100 000 of those don't have a valid ID paper:

http://24vesti.mk/izveshtaj-na-dik-okolu-500-iljadi-%E2%80%9Ekandidati%E2%80%9C-za-proverka-od-izbirachkiot-spisok

[vicsinad]

The following is an insightful article about DPMNE's lobbying efforts in the US. It's worth reading.

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/by-kurt-bassuener-and-toby-vogel-sarajevo-and-brussels-03-21-2016

What Did Macedonia’s VMRO-DPMNE Buy in Washington?

Macedonia’s ruling party seems intent on ensuring American support in its conflict with the opposition through investing in lobbying activity, but is favourable coverage inside the US ‘Beltway’ evidence the strategy is paying off?
Kurt Bassuener and Toby Vogel


Nikola Gruevski’s visit to Washington on January 11 was an all-out success. Vice President Joe Biden lectured the Macedonian Prime Minister about the need for free and fair elections and a proper investigation of the wiretapping scandal that had overshadowed the country’s politics for a year.

However, the meeting also generated footage of a statesmanlike Gruevski huddling with the second-most powerful man in the free world.

Gruevski was about to step aside for a caretaker administration ahead of an early election triggered by the scandal; what counted for him were the pictures, not the words.

The meeting, which the US State Department confirmed had been requested by the Macedonians, had taken considerable lobbying to engineer. It came in the wake of a deal signed between Gruevski’s party, VMRO-DPMNE, and the recently established Daschle Group, a lobbying firm founded by former US Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (Democrat, South Dakota).

In its initial agreement with VMRO in November 2015, obtained by Macedonian outlet Alsat, the Daschle Group suggested such a meeting between Gruevski and Biden, as well as concerted outreach on Capitol Hill, with the State Department, the National Security Council, and other official bodies.

Gruevski’s photo op with Biden was the most visible element of an intense campaign by VMRO ahead of the early elections, now set for June 5.

In Europe, this campaign has been far less intense, and to our knowledge conducted entirely through diplomatic and political channels rather than professional lobbyists. VMRO apparently feels that EU policy-makers are less in need of being convinced of Gruevski’s line.
Nikola Gruevski in Washington. Photo: MIA

In the US over the last few months, VMRO also opened accounts with other Washington outfits – New Partners Consulting, Inc. and Global Security and Innovative Strategies LLC, GSIS.

The total value of these contracts amounts to nearly $1.7 million a year. (New Partners, whose contract was worth $54,000 a month, reported to the US Foreign Agents Registration Act, FARA, that the contract with VMRO-DPMNE was cancelled as of January 31, soon after Gruevski resigned.)

It is unusual for such lobbying relationships to run through political parties. More commonly, as in the case of Republika Srpska, the Serb-dominated entity in Bosnia, governments conclude them.

The specifics of these contracts are public knowledge thanks to FARA, which requires all those representing a foreign government or interest to declare themselves to the Department of Justice, file their contracts, and deliver regular detailed reports, including the nature of the representation, those working on the account, payment amounts, and work undertaken for the foreign principal.

This last element is delineated in public logs of calls, meetings, and emails – including the subjects discussed. This provides the public with considerable information about how a country’s leadership (or other interests) presents itself and wishes to be seen in the United States.

It is noteworthy that none of the filings for the VMRO-DPMNE accounts mentions the ongoing political turmoil in Macedonia, the Przino Agreement, or the early elections. Instead, as one might expect in public relations, the declared arrangements make clear the intent to accentuate the positive.

The Daschle Group notes priorities as the economic climate and NATO membership, and advises packaging VMRO’s messages so as to address “the security imperative, the economic imperative, and the democratic imperative” in order to “lift your profile and help you realize your political and policy objectives”.

Macedonia’s troop commitment to the NATO operation in Afghanistan is a lead selling point.

This theme is reinforced in the GSIS contract, in which the political activity to be undertaken to exert influence is listed as: “Educating United States governmental officials of VMRO-DPMNE's support for recent security steps and its efforts to support the United States on global security matters.” In the stability-fixated West, this seems sound PR advice.

Gruevski’s meeting with Biden also seems to have had other effects.

In the wake of the meeting, various publications aimed at an inside-the-Beltway audience carried glowing opinion pieces, stressing the West’s interest in Gruevski’s re-election, criticising the “former communist” Social Democrat opposition and urging Western governments to embrace the Macedonian government as it finds itself under pressure from the migration crisis.

The Hill and The Daily Caller carried such pieces by Stephen Blank, a foreign policy analyst, and JD Gordon and Jason Katz, two public relations professionals who had no previous profile on Balkan affairs (although Gordon has also recently written on Montenegro’s government – much more critically than on Macedonia’s).

Katz is a registered foreign agent who has long worked for the government of Azerbaijan, a dictatorship regularly criticised for violating fundamental rights and freedoms. Blank has a long list of publications, primarily focusing on Russia, including several in the past year about Russian penetration into the Balkans.

All three have characterized Gruevski and VMRO-DPMNE as pro-Western and Zoran Zaev and the opposition Social Democrats as “former communist” or Russian-affiliated. This sits oddly with Russia’s assertion that last year’s protests were a Western attempt at “regime change” or a “colour revolution”, and with Blank’s own rendering of events in February 2015.

“No true democracy would tolerate such political corruption,” Gordon wrote in The Daily Caller. The reference was not to the government’s wiretapping but to the opposition’s threat to boycott the elections, at the time scheduled for April.

Gordon, Katz, and Blank replied to queries saying that they had not been paid to represent VMRO-DPMNE, the Macedonian government, or others representing those interests. “Nobody has paid me,” was Blank’s terse response.

Katz replied that his newfound interest stemmed from a “geopolitical/US foreign policy standpoint”.

Gordon replied: “Macedonia surfaced on my radar last year via the migrant crisis, and then even more so when Prime Minister Gruevski visited Vice President Biden at the White House a couple months ago.”
Nikola Gruevski and Joe Biden in Washington. Photo: MIA

This coverage has done far more for Gruevski’s visibility in Washington than the firms that are getting paid for their work.

Gruevski’s meetings with European leaders, by contrast, have been more discreet but perhaps more productive in substance as well: Europe has been notably reluctant to criticise his government, a tendency that the migration crisis has reinforced.

In Europe, Gruevski and his party depend less on lobbyists because the VMRO-DPMNE is a member of the European People’s Party, EPP, the umbrella group of Europe’s centre-right.

Every time EU national leaders meet in Brussels – at least four times a year, and usually more often – the EPP holds a separate meeting with all party leaders, both from inside or outside the EU. This includes German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Council President Donald Tusk, and numerous other senior Christian Democrats.

These gatherings are a perfect setting for unscripted, discreet bilaterals; their private character was important at a time when Juncker and Merkel were reluctant to meet Gruevski in public, immediately after the release of the wiretaps in early 2015.

These close links may have played a role in the apparent reluctance of EU leaders and senior national figures to criticise Gruevski. The US has appeared tougher on Gruevski than the Europeans in their intense behind-the-scenes efforts, led by the European Commission, to mediate in Macedonia’s political crisis.

However, that Gruevski and VMRO-DPMNE may depend less on professional lobbying in Brussels, Berlin and elsewhere in Europe than in Washington remains conjecture - thanks to glaring deficiencies of European transparency regimes. The EU, and to the authors’ knowledge, its individual member states as well, has nothing similar to FARA in its transparency and detail.

Lobbyists are supposed to sign up to a joint transparency register maintained by the European Commission and the European Parliament, but signing up is voluntary. (Negotiations are underway to make the register mandatory, and already now, the Parliament no longer issues access passes to lobbyists or other organizations that have not registered.) In addition, the transparency register requires little information from the 25,000 lobbyists thought to be plying their trade in Brussels full-time.

They are not required to disclose the specifics of their contracts in the way FARA demands in the case of foreign principals. What lobbyists do for their clients and how much they get from them remains a closely-guarded secret in Brussels.

Even so, it is surprising that the register turns up no one lobbying the EU on behalf of Macedonia’s government or VMRO-DPMNE. After all, Macedonia’s relationship with the EU, of which it has been a candidate for membership since 2005, is of paramount national interest.

A lobbyist with close ties in the EU’s neighbourhood says the governments of the Western Balkans do not understand the need for representation, with some exceptions.

“These countries have got an ambassador [in Brussels] but they’re not linked into any of the important trade associations, they got nobody in agriculture, in terms of employers’ associations – they’re just not plugged in,” he says.

Macedonia’s opposition Social Democrats, the SDSM, have not obtained representation in either Washington or Brussels. It also seems that the SDSM’s membership of the Party of European Socialists has not yielded the dividends that EPP membership has for VMRO-DPMNE, because the centre-left is out of power in most member states.

As to what influence VMRO-DPMNE’s lobbying efforts have bought, it may really only show when Macedonia’s ongoing political crisis next flares up – for example, if the elections scheduled for June 5 go ahead without SDSM participation, or if there are credible allegations of fraud.

The EU’s policy fixation, particularly since the migrant crisis escalated, is to prioritise stability above all else.

The deal between Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia to halt the migrant flow may well muffle EU criticism of Macedonia’s government, as it already has with far larger Turkey. The American role as watchdog – for Western and European democratic values – may in the end be decisive.

[Risto the Great]

Playing the game. And SDSm hasn't got the money to match.

[Tomche Makedonche]

Came across this interesting article in the Washington Times

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/mar/20/jason-katz-why-a-stable-macedonia-matters/?page=1

Why a stable Macedonia matters
The interests of the United States and the European Union depend on free elections
By Jason Katz - - Sunday, March 20, 2016

We, in the United States are currently dealing with a rancorous presidential election cycle, one like none we have seen before. On one side, a moderate, old guard Democrat — perhaps a bit out of touch and definitely with some baggage — running against, of all things, a welfare for all/work for none-Socialist, who can’t seem to see the forest, let alone the trees.

On the Republican side, there is a veritable cornucopia of personalities, with a flamboyant, seeming equal opportunity offender as the front-runner.

However, the political realities of other nations can be much worse, and, in some cases, more dangerous to those nations and to U.S. interests.

Such is the political reality for Macedonia. On the one side, fortunately for Macedonians, is a popular and successful past — and likely future — prime minister, Nikola Gruevski. On the other side, Zoran Zaev and his Social Democrat (former communist) opposition party. A reputed racketeer, Mr. Zaev alternately attempts to boycott elections or postpone them, as he did just last week.

Mr. Gruevski stepped down as prime minister in January as part of an odd agreement brokered by the European Union with the goal of “enhancing democracy.” Despite the EU and the U.S. statements supporting the new election date, Mr. Zaev’s opposition refused to vote for it. His low popularity is driving his obstructionism.
With the assistance of the EU and the United States, Macedonia can move past the obstructionism of Mr. Zaev and his cronies, and when elections are finally held, Mr. Gruevski will likely be elected again as prime minister.

This complicated situation leaves Macedonia with a caretaker government, bereft of real leadership and decision-making power. Macedonia is a nation in a holding position in a neighborhood where it is dangerous to be sedentary.

Macedonia’s progress is indisputable. On Mr. Gruevski’s watch, this emerging parliamentary democracy of just more than 2 million, was ranked by the World Bank as the 12th best country in the world and 6th in Europe for doing business. Prior to Mr. Gruevski’s tenure, Macedonia was ranked 94th. In addition, unemployment, the economic and political bane of Southeast Europe, stands at roughly 25 percent, down from nearly 40 percent, with more than 150,000 jobs added during Mr. Gruevski’s 10 years at the helm.

Also on Mr. Gruevski’s watch, Macedonia has made strides toward the establishment of the rule of law, a bona-fide democratic system of governance, Euro-Atlantic integration, as well as application and beginning the ascension processes for both European Union and NATO membership.

Still, Macedonia has suffered not just from Mr. Zaev’s political shenanigans from within, but also from Greek obstructionism from without. Southeast Europe remains a largely unstable region and is still recovering from the disastrous Balkan Wars of the 1990s. It is a part of the region where countries like Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia exist under the constant threat of Islamist penetration. The Balkans suffer from ethnic strife, Russian neo-Imperialist ambition and, increasingly, under political and threat of instability due to the ever-growing Syrian refugee crisis.

However, the nations that have sought EU and NATO membership and who have cast their lot with the West, have become more stable. Austria has repeatedly expressed its support and provided assistance to Macedonia’s efforts to regulate migration.

Macedonia, under the leadership of Mr. Gruevski, has sought alignment with the West, as well as EU and NATO membership as its way forward to stability and prosperity. Alas, the way forward to stability and prosperity is impeded by Greece.

Stemming from a disagreement over the name “Macedonia” — Greece’s northern-most province is also called Macedonia — Greece has blocked Macedonia’s NATO and EU ascension at each juncture. In addition, frustrated with the EU tough monetary policy toward Athens’ profligate spending, Greece has seen fit to handle the refugee crisis incompetently.

Refugees flow, practically unchecked, over the Greece-Macedonia border, putting an unbearable strain on Macedonia’s economy, military and civil service. All the while, Greece is able to take advantage of copious benefits from the EU to manage the refugees, while Macedonia is largely left to handle the crisis unaided.

It is time for the United States and the EU to render assistance to Macedonia looking at the broader picture and recognizing that the best interests of the EU and the people of Macedonia is to hold elections without a further delay. It is also in the United States’, EU’s and NATO’s best interests to stand up to Greece’s untenable positions on Macedonia’s progress on NATO and the EU membership, and allow the ascension process to move forward.

Jason Katz is the principal of TSG, LLC, a strategic communications, political and policy consultancy, and the former head of public affairs and public relations for the American Jewish Committee, based in Los Angeles.

[vicsinad]

Tomche:

Interesting how this article is by Katz and the article I posted about DPMNE's recent lobbying efforts before you posted this one has this to say about Katz:

The Hill and The Daily Caller carried such pieces by Stephen Blank, a foreign policy analyst, and JD Gordon and Jason Katz, two public relations professionals who had no previous profile on Balkan affairs (although Gordon has also recently written on Montenegro’s government – much more critically than on Macedonia’s).

Katz is a registered foreign agent who has long worked for the government of Azerbaijan, a dictatorship regularly criticised for violating fundamental rights and freedoms. Blank has a long list of publications, primarily focusing on Russia, including several in the past year about Russian penetration into the Balkans.

Katz replied that his newfound interest stemmed from a “geopolitical/US foreign policy standpoint”.

[vicsinad]

Ah, the democratic EU. He's right on some issues. But I only interpret this quote two ways, which both lead to the same conclusion: let us (the EU) put who we want in power.

1) The people are not going to vote for the regime change the EU wants, so elections are not a good thing; or

2) The elections will still be manipulated and fraudulent as long as the ruling party is in power.

"Macedonia is clearly not ready for elections," Vanhoutte said. "At this stage, elections will not solve anything, but only further deepen the current crisis".

Ah wait, he explains himself:

"It is nearly impossible for the local citizens to bring the society back to normal," Vanhoutte said. "Regime change by elections is not an option anymore. International support is the only alternative, and action is urgently needed. Such action should result in the creation of an ad hoc technical government for at least two to three years - time necessary to solve the many problems with its financial management, the judiciary, education and media the country is facing."

Well, on one hand...yes, the majority of citizens don't seem to be taking the necessary actions to get Macedonia running properly. But at the same time: am I the only one who thinks this is a scary idea? Hand over your country to international and undemocratic control?

Maybe Macedonians miss Tito so much that it's what they want!

http://www.dw.com/en/eu-diplomat-criticizes-macedonias-atmosphere-of-fear/a-19138002

[Redsun]

"It is nearly impossible for the local citizens to bring the society back to normal," Vanhoutte said.

Why not? What kind of statement is this?

"Regime change by elections is not an option anymore. International support is the only alternative, and action is urgently needed. Such action should result in the creation of an ad hoc technical government for at least two to three years - time necessary to solve the many problems with its financial management, the judiciary, education and media the country is facing."

I was under the impression Mr.Gruevski renounced his position due to pressure from the EU, and that this was because of the impending election.

Mr.Gruevski obliged...

Now it seems that this demand was false. Maybe they didn’t expect him to step down, perhaps they were hoping he would not oblige so that they could paint him however they wanted to.

Now elections are no longer good enough?

I thought education in Macedonia was ranked one of the highest, recently there was a report through the television a few months back, informing us that students studying abroad would have their educational fees paid for by the ROM government.

We don’t have a serving PM, I cant see the logic in this. Its more than wrong, its insane.

[DraganOfStip]

In it's newest press conference,the Special Prosecution stated that several officials from the secret police including Goran Gruevski (Saso Mijalkov's right-hand man) and again the former minister of interior Gordana Jankulovska are under investigation for destroying 10 million euros worth of surveillance equipment a year ago from the MOI in an attempt to cover-up the mass surveillance.
Here is the full press conference (you can skip to 13:00 into the video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_V-ZPIEc8Q

And here is a Google Translate of the issued statement for the press regarding the case:

Katica Janeva:
Dear citizens

Let me start this press conference to announce its new investigation in the special public prosecutor under the name "Fortress". For more detailed action will notify my colleague, Attorney General Lence Ristoska. As I said today's news conference theme and applies only to this investigation that cause other issues would be subject to the answer.

Quoting the Constitution, and in particular Article 25 which every citizen respect and protect the privacy of personal and family life, dignity and reputation "means that any unauthorized intrusion into the privacy of the person, dignity and freedom man is a violation of personal autonomy, emotional and feelings of intimacy as a private sphere of man.

As tells the respected constitutional law professor Svetomir Shkaric in one of his books that is intended for foreign eyes and ears, does not exist. It is the most sacred law of human behavior.

Also, the report notes that the exclusivity Priebe in monitoring by the SIA carried out by and observed in his own name and on behalf of the police, customs and financial police indirectly undermines the independence of the prosecution as the leader of the investigation.

Report accurately points out that SIA should not have direct access to the technical equipment that allows reflection of the communication signal, and operators need to activate and redirect the signals to the authorities or security authorities only after receiving the relevant court order and only for the purposes of legal wiretapping. Even more emphatically report notes that under any circumstances should not allow the collection of information for political or other purposes. It is also the basis for the opening of this investigation which is related to the illegal interception of communications.

I take this opportunity to emphasize that I am particularly proud of the fact that the Special Prosecutor's Office is the first institution in the country which has established a practice of close cooperation between members of the judicial police, investigators and public prosecutors. I find it extremely important to emphasize this starting primarily from the fact that investigators are one of the pillars underlying this prosecution and the potential of istrazhitelskiot staff undoubtedly contributed a lot in the past work of this prosecution.

This is especially because the investigators using the legal powers that have been given a very important role especially in the pre-trial and investigation procedure and largely contribute in providing evidence necessary for further successful criminal procedure.

Hence, the special public prosecutor as a team of individuals who despite capacity possess a high degree of awareness of the common responsibility before us, will continue to work united to enable the institution to achieve given mission represents our only goal.

I would therefore like to rule in regard to the unauthorized release of social networks on private conversations between certain current and former officials. I call on concerned individuals to come to special prosecutor to lead a proper criminal proceedings.

At the same time I call upon all who hold unlawful added audio and other types of conversations between certain persons to submit them as soon as possible to the special prosecutor.

Lence Ristoska :

Dear media representatives,

As special public prosecutor announced today it will present you object before this public prosecution conducted under the name "Fortress". It's about a subject that is related to unlawful interception of communications for the reason that a conviction based on a draft settlement made by the Basic Court Skopje 1 IV COC PP No.131 / 15 of 25.02.2015 year showed that the illegal interception of communications it is performed by using the devices for surveillance and audio recording of the technical capacity of the means of interception of communications at the Ministry of Interior. This article refers specifically to such devices or systems to monitor communications.

In this case the suspects are two heads of Departments in the Security and Counterintelligence and the Interior Minister, who in the first half of 2015 together with the use of official position and authority and by exceeding the limits of their official authority intentionally aided by Chief suspect in one of the units in the Office, destroyed the systems to monitor communications, which caused damage to the assets of the state and Budget in the amount of 10,000,000.00 euros, or 615,000,000.00 denars.

Suspects acted solely in the capacity of officials, taking advantage of his official position and authority and stepping beyond the limits of his official authority.

Thus, in the judgment on the basis of the draft agreement which I mentioned before, the first suspect because of concealment of other persons unauthorized use monitoring systems of communications at UBC, he issued a verbal order to the managers of the organizational units within the Department of operational technical support operations for submission of Notice of state of material and technical resources in the security and counterintelligence. This order was given in order to show the alleged need for destruction of the monitoring of communications, although the report of the census of 2014 there has been no need for disposing of assets or systems on any ground.

Based on the information they had received, the first suspect on 11.03.2015 to the Department to coordinate the Office submitted a proposal establishing a panel inventory, write off, destruction and deletion of records from the list of borrowing because of technical obsolescence and dysfunctional systems. Moreover, contrary to Article 8 paragraph 6 of the Guidelines on inventory at the Ministry of Interior, members of the Commission proposed that persons who handle funds that are subject to inventory or persons who are financially responsible for funds that are subject to inventory.

On 16.03.2015 vtoroosomnicheniot as head of the Department for the Coordination Office in the Department of Legal Affairs and Human Resources at the Ministry of Interior prepared and submitted the proposal for the establishment of the Commission for inventory, write off, destruction and deletion of records from the list of borrowing to technical obsolescence and dysfunctional systems and technical equipment, contrary to Article 8 paragraph 6 of the Guidelines on inventory at the Ministry of Interior, as well as no precise and clear formulated task of the Commission and without clarifying whether the request for establishment of a Commission concerns specific technical systems, facilities and equipment, or as a specific subject of inventory and destruction occur all systems, facilities and equipment in the SIA.

Here especially it is symptomatic that the Department of Legal Affairs and Human Resources of the Ministry, were notified of the deficiencies in the proposal vtoroosomicheniot, although this letter was received in SIA, however vtoroosomnicheniot not committed amendment clarifying that something be done to conceal the fact that the object of destruction are systems to monitor communications.

Given that the decision had been drawn up, the first suspect acted in SECTRON for legal affairs and human resources, which is accessed from the Department to prepare the decision on the guidelines given by the Minister of Interior. Thus, on 23.03.2015 Minister of Interior (tretoosomnichenata) established Commission for inventory, write off, destruction and deletion of records from the list of borrowing systems and technical equipment in the Security and Intelligence, without considering the legal provisions and bylaws regulating the handling of classified information, without a specific legal basis for the establishment of a commission for destruction of facilities and equipment, without a requirement of all organizational units in the security and counterintelligence the Guidelines for inventory and without check whether the proposed members of the Commission shall meet the requirements of Article 8 paragraph 6 of the Guidelines on inventory at the Ministry of Interior.

In the decision the Commission was authorized to carry out an inventory of the systems and technical means and equipment from the list of borrowing in the Security and Intelligence, to conclude the existing situation and if it determines their technical obsolescence and inoperable perform destruction of systems and technical means and equipment legally qualified person for the same, to produce a report and expenditure and erase any means objects and materials from the accounts of the Ministry of Interior.

So on 26.03.2015, the Commission acceded to the inventory of systems and technical equipment but only in the Department of operative - technical support operations and the day of 03.27.2015, the persons responsible for handling system for monitoring the communications system is turned off tracking communication, which was then in use, pnaredniot day of 03.28.2015, the approach of loading systems and equipment that were subject to inventory and destruction, including both systems to monitor communications.

Such systems and equipment wagons owned by MI were taken to the legal entity that holds waste scrap metal at the site except the audience engaged the legal entity and members of the Commission were present and the first, second and chetvrtoosomnichenite. Chetvrtoosomnicheniot provided logistical support to implement their destruction in a way that organized the transport to the legal entity, observed process and annul his commissioned a person to perform photo and video documentation of the event.

Once all equipment and systems have been placed in the press and pressed for destruction, the remains were izbalirani and left to waste that space was observed by members of the Directorate for Security and Counterintelligence, unknown to the investigation until 03.04.2015 year.

03.04.2015 The year without the knowledge and presence of all members of the Commission, by order of a first suspect in order to ensure complete destruction of the monitoring of communications of the members of the Commission, together with representatives of the legal entity after loaded them baled destroyed parts of systems and equipment, rushed to another legal entity, where baled parts of systems and equipment were put in Crusher and were again crushed.

Conducted for destruction Commission drew up the official records of NISHTO tools and equipment, and report. So far there is no evidence as to whether this report is submitted to the Director of the Security and Intelligence and Interior Minister.

Once the person who conducted the video and photo documentation of the event chetvrtoosomnicheniot delivered to photo and video carved carrier memory - DVD disk chetvrtoosomnicheniot, official material destroyed in order to cover the traces, after which vtoroosomnicheniot the Financial Affairs Department at the Ministry of Interior submitted a letter of 28.05.2015 year, in order to erase NISHTO equipment and systems from the lists of borrowing of the security and counterintelligence.

However the actions of the suspects failed to stop here.

Between the second half of 2015 until mid-March 2016, undertaken several actions to falsfikuvanje of official documents and which had a participation petoosomnichenata as an official - technical documentary.

The first suspect in order to cover the unlawful actions in destroying the systems for monitoring the communications from the position of supervisor commissioned heads of organizational units in the Security and Intelligence to prepare Notification of the need for destruction of systems and equipment. Then it intentionally triggered pettosomnichenata in an official capacity - technical documentary Department to falsifying an official document and of such notifications to enter false data, ie they lead them in the log book for 2014, are drawn up in 2014, although these documents have been prepared in the period from 2015 to 2016.

In the same period the first suspect drew up an official letter containing false data which entered false data as the letter reportedly been forwarded to the Department of Coordination with the Security and Counterintelligence and with his signature authorized the official notice. This letter was drafted with the intention to show that the alleged need for destruction of the monitoring of communications dating from earlier, not the month of March 2015 when it conducted annul. With this letter to inform the Department of coordination for the alleged need to establish a Commission for inventory, write off, destruction and deletion of records and a list of borrowing because of technical obsolescence and dysfunctional systems. Although a post that was produced in the period from 2015 to 2016, took him pettosomnichenata mentioned letter at the end of the log book of 2014 by entering false data on the date of the letter and the archive number. It should be noted log book for 2014 was locked in accordance with legal regulations, and that this letter not evidira in the official records for receiving post in the Department of coordination in the Security and Counterintelligence.

Then vtoroosomnicheniot allegedly acting on the letter of the first suspect issued another official letter addressed to the Department for Legal Affairs and Human Resources. Vtoroosomnicheniot in this letter entered false data that the letter was reportedly delivered to the archive in the Security and Intelligence and the Department of Legal Affairs and Human Resources at the Ministry of Interior, although this letter was never recorded in the log books of the said units . The aim of this letter was to show that the alleged need for destruction of the monitoring of communications dated not earlier than March 2015 when it conducted annul and served only as a cover letter of the first suspect.

Chetvrtoosomnicheniot who acted as a facilitator in committing the criminal act Abuse of power when conducting annul the monitoring systems of communications, on 08.03.2016 during the period from 09:30 am to 12:00 pm in the capacity of deputy first suspect , he used all mentioned rogatory with false information office as true. The same such rogatory presented at a meeting held in the premises of the Security and Intelligence in the presence of officials from the Security and Counterintelligence and representatives of the Public Prosecutor's Office for crimes related and which arise from the content of the illegal interception of communications .

With such actions

first suspect has committed a crime - Abuse of power and authority of Article 353, paragraph 5 in conjunction paragraph 1 in conjunction Article 22 of the Criminal Code and criminal offense Forging an official document referred to in Article 361 paragraph 1 in conjunction Article 23 of the Criminal Code and a crime of forging official documents under Article 361 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code.
vtoroosomnicheniot committed a crime - Abuse of power and authority of Article 353, paragraph 5 in conjunction paragraph 1 in conjunction Article 22 of the Criminal Code and criminal offense Forging an official document referred to in Article 361 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code.
tretoosomnichenata committed a crime - Abuse of power and authority of Article 353, paragraph 5 in conjunction paragraph 1 in conjunction Article 22 of the Criminal Code
chetvrtoosomnicheniot committed a crime - Abuse of power and authority of Article 353, paragraph 5 in conjunction paragraph 1 in conjunction Article 24 of the Criminal Code and criminal offense Forging an official document referred to in Article 361 paragraph 2 in connection paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code.
pettosomnichenata, which under Article 468 of the LCP leads shortened procedure done six offenses - Forging an official document referred to in Article 361 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code
Forward during the investigation to verify and determine the role, involvement and possible responsibility of each member of the Commission in the process of destruction, and to determine the possible involvement of other officials.

[Tomche Makedonche]

http://emerging-europe.com/intelligence/macedonia-stepping-shadow-balkans/

Macedonia - Stepping out of the shadow of the Balkans

March 30, 2016Andrew Wrobel

Last year’s wire-tapping scandal, where the national security services allegedly recorded some 670,000 conversations from over 20,000 phone numbers illegally, paralysed the small Balkan nation of Macedonia. It is now a year later and the country, which has been an EU candidate since 2005, is trying to move on.

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski stepped down in January 2016, after having been in power since 2006, as a result of negotiations that were led by Johannes Hahn, a European Union Commissioner. Macedonia is awaiting new elections which will be held on June 5 of this year and in the meantime a transitional government is in power.

However, the political turmoil of the past twelve months hasn’t discouraged foreign investors. Among them are American Cap-Con and Italian Vitilli Group. In December 2015, the American producer of inflators and airbags, launched production at ARC Automotive Macedonia, which is located in the Skopje Free Economic Zone. This is the company’s fifth global plant and the only one situated in Europe. The value of this investment is estimated at €17 million. The company currently employs 100 people but plans to increase the number to 500 within the next three years.

A long-term vision

In February 2016, the Italian Vitillo Group launched the second stage of its investment in the production of high-pressure hydraulic fittings and armoured rubber hoses, in the Skopje Free Economic Zone, as well as announced plans for further expansion in 2017. After the completion of this expansion, the value of the company’s total investments in Macedonia will reach €30 million and will create 300 jobs.

“Vitillo Group decided to invest in the country for the second time because of its positive experience [during the first stage of the project], but also and first and foremost because of, the long-term sustainability of the Macedonian government’s goals,” says Antonio Vitillo, the group’s CEO.
The official launch of the second stage of Vitillo Group's investment in Macedonia (courtesy of DTIDZ)The official launch of the second stage of Vitillo Group’s investment in Macedonia (courtesy of DTIDZ)
These long-term goals were set out a decade ago. Back then the economy ranked 81st in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2006 report and had a GDP per capita of about €2,431, an unemployment rate of 36 per cent and a population of just over two million people.

“For us sustainability is very important. In other words it’s not enough to attract one investor; if he’s not happy, this will be reflected in future investment. If the investor is happy they will stay; they will invest more and, in fact, that is that we’re seeking,” Vladimir Peshevski, Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, tells Emerging Europe.

The government’s priority was to eliminate unnecessary procedures or at least to reduce their number, as well as to move most services online. “This saves time and costs and it also helps to eliminate corruption,” Mr Peshevski adds.

A global success

As a result, in the latest World Bank Doing Business report, Macedonia ranks 12th globally and sixth in Europe, ahead of the Old Continent’s giants such as Germany, France and Spain and it is first in emerging Europe.

The government is also investing in infrastructure, with three highways currently under construction. In 2011, Alexander the Great Airport opened a new terminal, handling over 1.5 million passengers in 2015. In March 2016, the Airports Council International (ACI) named it the Best European Airport for service quality.

Macedonia continues to develop its free economic zones, with a plan to establish as many as fourteen zones across the country. Victor Mizo, CEO of Macedonia’s Free Zones Authority, says seven zones will be operational within the first half of this year, as soon as they have their first investors.

“[We need] at least one investor and then the zone can operate as a stand-alone zone. If we don’t have a tenant, we won’t be able to allocate all the funds needed to set up an infrastructure in advance. Basically we have a fixed budget and we allocate that budget based on the needs of the investors; those who have made their investment decisions,” says Mr Mizo.

The government’s goal is also to provide a stable supply of high quality labour. “Alongside other reforms, we believe that that improvement of education is very important, so Macedonia has a very high percentage of its GDP allocated to education,” says Mr Peshevski.

“We introduced a compulsory second language; from day one in grade one all the way up until young people finish high school. Then when they go to university they have to study a foreign language for two years as well,” says Goran Mickovski, Minister for Foreign Investments.

Labour force availability

“90 per cent of them currently go on to university. So 96.5 per cent of our high school graduates are competent in English, over different levels, but they can speak it. Now, we’re also diversifying into other languages, for example German and Spanish. Investors appreciate that and they’re moving towards putting Macedonian people in charge of the operations here as plant managers, because they can speak the language and they have the experience,” Mr Mickovski adds.

Macedonia’s skilled and low-cost labour force was one of the reasons behind Van Hool’s investment. This Belgian manufacturer of buses, touring coaches and industrial vehicles had considered a number of locations across the CEE region, before it chose Macedonia.

“I think there is large supply of engineers, for the size of the country. Because ours is a very labour intensive operation, we wanted to find a country that would offer low labour costs. Additionally when we were still a part of Yugoslavia, we already had a big coach industry there, producing almost 1,000 buses per year. That meant the skilled labour force; the knowledge and the tradition were all here already. This was not the same for other locations. On top of that the social contributions, which are obligatory for employers, are among the lowest in the region. I am talking here about pensions and taxes,” says Avram Stojcevski, Plant Manager at Van Hool Macedonia.

Vanja Stojanovski, the plant manager at ARC Automotive, says his company’s employees earn between €250 and €300 a month, on average. “These are the operators that deal directly with the product and physically touch it. The people who support the production process have higher salaries, ranging from €300 to €500 Euros a month. It also depends on the specific skills that we need. Sometimes if you need people with particular skills that cannot be found here easily, we will start a negotiation process,” Mr Stojanovski adds.

Delivering promises

Foreign investors that spoke to Emerging Europe unanimously agreed that they valued the government’s approach and assistance in the investment process.

“The owners [of Van Hool] were satisfied with how proactive the government was, when they discussed the incentive package with them before they decided to start up with the operation. They really appreciated the government’s approachability and accessibility,” says Van Hool’s Stojcevski.
val hool belgium EXA bus produced in Van Hool’s plant in Macedonia (courtesy of Van Hool)
The Free Zone Authority’s Mizo says his most important task is not only to attract companies, but to make sure that we adhere to every single promise that we make.

“We are not just painting a rosy picture but rather we are creating realistic expectations that can be met. Even in Singapore not everything is perfect, even in Singapore there are issues and they are number one in the Doing Business ranking. We address any issue that a company has and we try to propose a solution, or at least to explain why certain things can or cannot be adjusted. If a new company comes to an environment they are not familiar with, no matter how many consultant firms or law firms they engage, they will need somebody from within the system to help them,” adds Mr Mizo.

That is why Macedonia’s Free Zone Authority has set up a board of directors, comprised of representatives of the cabinets of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport, as well as three investors, who change every two years, which has a say in any necessary changes to be made. These changes are then passed on to the Economic Council which is chaired by the Prime Minister.

“We meet bi-monthly and we look at the issues. With the government and governmental institutions on one side of the table and all the companies on the other side, we go through them item by item, trying to address the problems or issues and to decide if there is a solution. Changing rules, regulations, laws or by-laws is not only going to help the investor but it’s going to help all the local companies, also,” says Mr Mizo.

Investors’ interest

This approach of contacting and interacting with investors, especially foreign investors, is critical for the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs. “We have developed a network of economic promoters. We have four ministers whose goal is to attract foreign direct investment. This has all resulted in a very large number of new investors coming to Macedonia,” says Mr Peshevski.

Between 2009 and 2014, foreign companies invested $1.72 billion, with almost $350 million in 2014 alone and their interest in Macedonia is growing, according to UNCTAD’s World Investment report of 2015. The government’s own analysis says that 90 per cent of foreign investors are satisfied with their projects.
It’s not enough to attract one investor; if he’s not happy, this will be reflected in future investment, says Vladimir Peshevski,Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs.It’s not enough to attract one investor; if he’s not happy, this will be reflected in future investment, says Vladimir Peshevski,Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs (courtesy of vlada.mk)
“Interest is very high, especially from countries such as Germany, Italy, the UK, the United States and Turkey. We have a lot of activity because these countries are aware of our pro-business environment and the number of announcements of and new projects has been extremely high; in fact as high as I’ve seen it in the last two and a half years, since I’ve been a minister for foreign investment,” says Jerry Naumoff, one of the four Ministers for Foreign Investments.

Goran Mickovski, Minister for Foreign Investment responsible for the UK markets, says the feedback that he has received from the UK has been positive so far, especially where SMEs are concerned. “They tend to be more cost-conscious, less complicated in terms of decision making and a lot quicker in terms of moving into particular markets,” he adds.

Some companies, such as the Vitillo Group, look at Macedonia as a location to serve eastern markets. “One benefit that they all emphasise is the location of the country. They also talk about the business climate, the cost competitiveness, the tax regime, the friendliness of the people and the habits of hard work as well as employee loyalty and the low attrition rates that we have. Adding to the package we should take the FTA (free trade agreement) network into account, as well as the double tax agreements that we have with a very wide network of countries; these are things that they consider when they come here,” Mr Mickovski says.

Branding challenges

But it is a long way from needing to expand abroad to picking up a specific country, especially when we consider such a small country as Macedonia.

Minister Mickovski is certain that a few years ago hardly anyone had heard of his country. “Not many people knew about us, I mean as a place to visit, let alone as a place to invest. So we had to do all things in parallel; raise the awareness of who we are, where we are, what we do and to make it clear that we are a good business destination — we still have to do this,” he says.

“When people thought of Eastern Europe, before, they almost certainly did not think of Macedonia, but because they thought of the Balkan region as a whole, we were “guilty by association”. We were not involved in any of the activities that took place in the Balkans in the 1990s; the total disintegration of Yugoslavia, for example, and we didn’t necessarily have a negative image, but compared to other neighbours in the region, we had no image at all,” says Mr Mizo, who served as the head of Invest Macedonia a decade ago, when the country ran a large campaign in international media outlets.

However, the country took the wise step of inviting successful business people, of Macedonian origin and with much experience of working abroad, to bring in their experience and knowledge of how things are done in various countries around the world. This included the both ministers for foreign investment that Emerging Europe spoke to, who understand the language of international business.

“It’s important to understand what other people want to hear and what they actually want to know about a particular business environment, particular regulatory environment etc., so that they can get themselves into a position where they can make a decision to invest in this country’, says Mr Mickovski.

Minister Naumoff says he is someone foreign investors can relate to. “My approach is to try to show them that they can become more competitive, more profitable and can expand or enter into Europe more competitively by setting up operations and doing business here in Macedonia.”
Nikola Gruevski, former Prime Minister of Macedonia and leader of conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, is running in the June elections to make Macedonia move forward Nikola Gruevski, former Prime Minister of Macedonia and leader of conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, is running in the June elections to help Macedonia move forward (courtesy of vlada.mk)
The future ahead

Where is Macedonia headed now as far as its investment strategy is concerned? Mr Mizo says he would like to shift the focus somewhat towards more technically advanced companies rather than labour-intensive companies.

“We are not excluding labour-intensive industries. We believe that at this stage of development, by attracting capital to develop new technologies and their application in the national economy, we improve competitiveness, increase efficiency and productivity, and accelerate economic development. Foreign investments are essentially a conduit to a transfer of knowledge and the development of new technology. Balanced regional economic development across the country is the driving factor for the dispersion of economic activity and establishment of free economic zones,” he adds.

Minister Mickovski believes there will probably be more reliance on the servicing sector. “We will also see a process of moving into medium-sized businesses rather than the big ticket sizes. However, balancing the economy will be important because we don’t want to be in a position where we’re over-reliant on one sector and then we’re left exposed when the international markets and/or trends in the markets change one way or another. That could lead to potential social and other types of consequences,” he adds.

In the meantime, Macedonia will have to deal with another issue; one that emerged in mid-March, after a leaked draft report from the State Electoral Commission (DIK) suggested as many as 495,000 names on the electoral roll, of long-deceased citizens or of people living in Western Europe, North America and Australia, would have to be verified. The Commission confirms the final version of the report mentions 81,383 names.

Business seems to be making it its way despite politics but after the upset resulting from the scandal last year, it is critical for the small nation of Macedonia to regain political stability and to set up a new government anyway. The sooner the elections take place the better.

[DraganOfStip]

Breaking: The primary suspect Goran Gruevski has been detained after almost 9 hours of interrogation:

http://faktor.mk/2016/03/31/kako-padna-prviot-pritvor-hronologija-na-tvrdina/

[DraganOfStip]

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/macedonia-police-suspected-of-mass-illegal-surveillance-scheme-03-30-2016

Macedonia Police 'Destroyed Evidence of Illegal Wiretaps'

Macedonia’s Special Prosecution said it is probing five people, including a former Interior Minister, for alleged illegal destruction of equipment used for large-scale illegal wiretapping.
Sinisa Jakov Marusic
BIRN
Skopje

Macedonia's Special Prosecution, tasked with investigating alleged grave crimes on the part of senior officials, told a press conference on Wednesday that it suspects a former Interior Minister, as well as senior officials in the Secret Police, as part of a scheme that destroyed equipment used to illegally eavesdrop.

The prosecution said that in the new investigation, codenamed “Fortress”, it suspects five people misused their office to organize the destruction of surveillance equipment in March, April and May 2015.
Some of them are also being investigated for falsifying documents in order to make it look as if the equipment was destroyed a year earlier, in 2014, before the opposition publicised its claims about mass illegal surveillance.
The Interior Minister was then Gordana Jankuloska. The prosecution confirmed it has issued a search and arrest warrant for one of the suspects, but not for the former Interior Minister.

“The investigation is ongoing... We have evidence that other people also may have been involved,” Deputy Special Prosecutor Lence Risteska said.

She added that they hope to gather more evidence that would reveal who masterminded and organized the wiretapping in the past few years.

The opposition Social Democrats insist the masterminds were the former Prime Minister and head of main ruling VMRO DPMNE party, Nikola Gruevski, and his cousin, the former secret police chief, Saso Mijalkov.

Gruevski says the tapes were “fabricated” by unnamed foreign intelligence services and given to the opposition to destabilise the country.

The Special Prosecution said it believed that the suspects destroyed two sets of communications surveilance equipment that the secret police, the UBK, had at the time, one old and a new one, thus causing damage worth more than 10 million euros.

The prosecution said the equipment was first transported out of the UBK into a metal scrapyard where it was pressed. Afterwards, the same equipment was put into a grinder in another scrapyard.

Last May, one of the suspects allegedly requested that the Finance Ministry delete the destroyed equipment from the official records. Another suspect was tasked with adding false dates to the documents related to the destruction so that it appeared as if it happened on December 31, 2014.

All suspects face sentences that range from five to 20 years in jail if found guilty.

The Special prosecution, which was formed last September as part of an EU-brokered political accord to reolve the political crisis in Macedonia, has thus far launched official investigations into two more cases.

One, codenamed “Titanic”, pinpoints former ministers and senior officials as the main figures suspected of organising fraud during past elections.

The other case, “Torture”, is probing a former secret police chief and several officers for allegedly using torture while arresting Ljube Boskoski, a former interior minister and fierce critic of the government.

In a recent report, the prosecution said it has probed 80 suspects in 30 cases and will soon reveal other cases. The number of cases and suspects may increase, it said.

The Social Democrats started releasing batches of covertly recorded tapes last February. The opposition insists the tapes contain incriminating evidence against many senior officials, including proof of high-level corruption, the government grip’s on the judiciary, prosecution, businesses and media, politically-motivated arrests and jailings, electoral violations and even an attempted cover-up of a murder of a man by a police officer.

[DraganOfStip]

In "Freedom House"s new annual report for Nations In Transit published today, Macedonia has a drop in 6 out of 7 categories:

National Democratic Governance rating declined from 4.25 to 4.75 due to the deterioration of the political crisis, indications of large-scale illegal surveillance of citizens, and indications of massive abuse of power by high-ranking government officials.

Electoral Process rating declined from 3.50 to 3.75 due to indications of electoral fraud that cast doubt on the credibility of previous national elections.

Civil Society rating improved from 3.50 to 3.25 due to the increased mobilization of civic actors before and during the governmental crisis.

Independent Media rating declined from 5.00 to 5.25 due to indications of illegal surveillance of journalists, alleged government control over the editorial policies of some media outlets, and rising intimidation of and attacks on journalists.

Local Democratic Governance rating declined from 3.75 to 4.00 due to indications of electoral fraud that cast doubt on the credibility of the 2013 local elections, and indications of abuse of the central government’s power over local authorities.

Judicial Framework and Independence rating declined from 4.25 to 4.50 due to indications of political interference in the work of the judiciary.

Corruption rating declined from 4.25 to 4.50 due to indications of high-ranking government officials’ involvement in a number of corruption schemes.

As a result, Macedonia’s Democracy Score declined from 4.07 to 4.29.

Full report here: https://freedomhouse.org/report/nati...2016/macedonia

[Mad Mak]

http://www.independent.mk/articles/30385/Macedonian+President+Abolishes+All+Criminal+Procedures+Against+Governing+or+Opposition+Party

Macedonian President Abolishes All Criminal Procedures Against Governing or Opposition Party

Macedonian President Gjorgje Ivanov has made a general act to abolish all criminal procedures against the governing and opposition party. He announced this at this public speech on Tuesday. His decision, he said, goes in effect immediately.

"Aware of the consequences over me, but with strong faith that I am making this decision for stability of the country, I have decided to put this agony in Macedonia to an end, in accordance with all constitutional jurisdictions, the decision has been made to make a general abolition between politicians and their counterparts," Ivanov said.

He pointed out that no one, not even supporters, nor opposers, had been informed previously of his decision because he expected he would be rejected by them.

"Among the included, there are many of my political supporters, but also many of my opposers. I have not informed anyone of this decision. I made the presumption, that if I did that, they would have rejected me. I did not go into detail whether they were guilty or not. I made the presumption they were innocent. Only one of the decisions is an amnesty, I believe that it is unfair this person to serve punishment. I took this step only to preserve the state, and national interests. If I believe that one wants to entangle us again in such scenario, I do not exclude the possibility to act again in the same manner," President Ivanov said.

He said that he was convinced that by making this decision he is taking a huge step for mutual reconciliation. For progress and results.

"I am convinced that with this step, I am helping international representatives as well, who have honest intentions for Macedonia. It is possible that for a short period of time I would be attacked, or accused for different conspiracy theories. I am prepared to face it. When I undertook this position I was aware of the responsibilities it carries. I cannot allow what is happening to Macedonia. What happened to Macedonia is anything but politics, it is rather a perfidious game which put everyone under blackmail and made them hostages in the situation," Ivanov was categorical.

He pointed out that Macedonia needs a reconciliation attitude.

"I want a finale with fair and democratic elections according to all standards, which will be supported and acknowledged by the international community. I undertake the responsibility of making this decision," Ivanov said.

The BalkanInsight article :

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/macedonia-president-abolishes-incriminated-politicians-04-12-2016#.Vw0d-af_ZQY.twitter

Macedonia President Pardons Politicians Facing Charges

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov on Tuesday abruptly pardoned all politicians facing crime investigations - undermining the work of the Special Prosecution, which is tasked with investigating wire-tapping allegations and other alleged crimes.

[DraganOfStip]

...and hence why the Constitutional Court's earlier decision was needed.
Suck on that,Kim Jong-Un!