Media situation in Macedonia does not promise fair elections

Zaneta Trajkoska, Director of the School of Journalism and Public Relations in Skopje, examines how the media landscape in Macedonia hinders free and fair elections

Early parliamentary election will take place in Macedonia on June 5, 2016, as a result of the agreement brokered by the European Union to end the protests against the government of Nikola Gruevski. Yet, there are significant concerns about the situation in the country and the limits it poses for free and fair election. Zaneta Trajkoska analyses for SEE Media Observatory the main obstacles deriving from insufficient media freedom and pluralism in Macedonia, focusing on the impact of political clientelism; on the increased polarization mirrored also in the creation of parallel institutions and on the need to tackle this situation through a comprehensive approach including the de-contamination of the public sphere. 

North Macedonia Media freedom Media pluralism