Saturday, 1 February 2014
STATEMENT OF THE PRESIDENT VELJANOSKI ON THE OCCASION OF ANNOUNCING THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
Distinguished citizens,
Distinguished representatives of the media
Allow me to inform you that pursuant to the Constitutional obligation of the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia and pursuant to the timeline stipulated in the Election Code, I have ratified the Decision on Election of President of the Republic of Macedonia.
The Constitutional provision envisages that the election of the President of the Republic of Macedonia shall happen in the last 60 days of the mandate of the previous President. Considering that the 20th April is the great Christian holiday- Resurrection of Christ and respecting the feelings of all Christian believers as well as taking into consideration that the first nor the second cycle of the lections should not be on this date, I have decided that the election of the President of the Republic of Macedonia shall be held on 13 April 2014.
The Decision on Election of the President shall be submitted to the State Election Committee of the Republic of Macedonia as an executive body for the election, as well as to the Ministry on Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice.
I would like to express pleasure from the adoption of the amendments of the Election Code, harmonised between the governing and the opposition parties. We are entering an election process in which the stipulated rules are accepted by all stakeholders, and I expect that they will be respected, demonstrating democratic maturity and opportunity for the citizens to decide and express their will in a peaceful and democratic atmosphere.
I would appeal to all participants, most responsibly and consciously to be guided only by the constitutional and legal provisions and once again to demonstrate, in most dignified manner that our common primary goal is the prosperity of our country, the Republic of Macedonia.
Thank you.