The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, met today with Ambassador Geert Hinrich Ahrens, Head of OSCE/ODIHR mission to observe the local elections in the Republic of Macedonia.

At the meeting, President Ivanov stressed that the Republic of Macedonia has the capacity to conduct fair and democratic elections and that the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia have great political awareness and maturity to contribute to the realization of such elections. The Republic of Macedonia has proven that in the past and there is no reason to be otherwise at the forthcoming local elections, President Ivanov added.

Underlining that the organization of the electoral process is one of the key criteria in meeting the strategic goals of the Republic of Macedonia, President Ivanov expressed his expectation that the election competition would be legitimate and constructive and at the same time a battle of proposals and ideas, instead of a battle for local government.

"At this cycle, as in previous election cycles, I urge that anyone who does not comply with the established rules and legal norms for fair and democratic elections shall face the most stringent possible institutional response", President Ivanov stressed.

Both interlocutors agreed on the need that all stakeholders in the electoral process should behave responsibly, with unconditional respect for the law and in accordance with the attained democratic gains, taking into account the state and the citizens' interests.

At the meeting, they exchanged opinions about the recent political developments, whereby the Macedonian President expressed satisfaction with the positive attitude of the leaders of the government and the opposition which finally enabled the European agenda to be back on the track in the Republic of Macedonia.

President Ivanov expressed satisfaction with the cooperation with the OSCE and said that he highly appreciates their activities in the Republic of Macedonia, as well as the personal engagement of Ambassador Ahrens.