On 9 October, the Constitutional Court abolished the “Ethnic Balancer,” a mechanism introduced in 2015 to enforce ethnic quotas in public sector jobs. The State Anti-Corruption Commission had challenged its constitutionality earlier in 2024, arguing it violates freedom of expression and may unfairly exclude applicants. Critics, including the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party, claim the mechanism has led to an over-staffed public sector with party loyalists and was misused due to the fluidity of ethnic identity. The mechanism greatly improved the inclusion of the Albanian minority, who make up about one-quarter of the population, but its removal has sparked concerns about potentially reversing progress in the already fragile inter-ethnic relations. It is important to watch how the removal of this mechanism will affect minority inclusion and whether it will be replaced with new legislation to address inclusion. 

Sources: Media Information Agency, TV21, Radio Free Europe (North Macedonia) (1), Radio Free Europe (North Macedonia) (2), New York Times, North Macedonia's Constitutional Court

North Macedonia held parliamentary elections and the presidential runoff on 8 May. The right-wing coalition VMRO-DPMNE emerged as the largest party with 43.3 per cent of the vote, marking a shift in power after seven years of rule by the centre-left Social Democratic Union (SDSM), which secured 15.3 per cent of the vote. The European Front coalition received 13.6 per cent. VMRO-DPMNE-backed Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova won the presidential runoff with 65 per cent of the vote, becoming North Macedonia's first female president. Experts said the results reflect voter frustration with corruption and stalled EU accession efforts. Women comprised 43 per cent of parliamentary candidates. International observers reported the elections were competitive with a pluralistic campaign, but were marred by nationalistic rhetoric, legislative shortcomings, and inadequate oversight of campaign finances. Similar to previous elections, voter turnout was 55.4 per cent for parliamentary elections and 47.4 per cent for the presidential runoff.

Update: In a final report issued in September, international election observers said that the elections were competitive and fundamental freedoms were respected, but the process remained insufficiently regulated.

Source: State Election Commission (1), State Election Commission (2), Reuters (1), Reuters (2), OSCE ODIHR (1), OSCE/ODIHR (2), International IDEA

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.

Sources: Balkan Insight, MKD.mk, Nova Makedonija, Deutsche Welle

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.

Sources: Balkan Insight, Deutsche Welle, Nova Makedonija (1), Nova Makedonija (2), Europe Western Balkans