EC: Democratic Institutions Are Generally Stable, the Governing Coalition Stable, the Stabilisation Committee Met for the First Time in Five Years
In the series on the EC report: competitive local elections, a new Ombudsperson elected with cross-party support and 50.42 percent of laws passed by shortened procedure.
Skopje – “The functioning of democratic institutions is generally stable,” states the European Commission’s 2026 report on North Macedonia, published on November 4. The Commission also assesses that the governing coalition remained overall stable, and the inter-ethnic situation is described as overall stable.
The local elections of October 14, 2025, with a runoff on November 2 and a rerun in four municipalities on January 11, 2026, according to the report, “were competitive and offered voters genuine choice”. The Commission also notes a polarised environment and some procedural shortcomings.
In the Assembly, the parties kept the broad consensus on the Rules of Procedure, which improved efficiency. A new Code of Ethics for MPs and a Strategic Plan 2027–2031 were adopted. The members of the State Election Commission were elected with a two-thirds majority, for which the opposition also provided votes.
A new Ombudsperson was elected with cross-party support. The Assembly also elected one new judge of the Constitutional Court and five members of the Council for Civilian Oversight. Oversight of the executive continued through the monthly sessions for MPs’ questions, and the EU flag procedure was consistently applied to laws aligning with EU law.
In the part on European integration, the Stabilisation and Association Committee met for the first time in five years. Some progress was also noted in local government reform, with amendments to the laws on inter-municipal cooperation and on local government.
Civil society, according to the Commission, operates in an overall enabling environment. The Council for Cooperation between the Government and Civil Society was reactivated and adopted its work programme for 2026.
The report also lists what remains. The share of laws adopted by shortened procedure in 2025 fell to what it calls a still high 50.42 percent. There is no progress on the key ODIHR recommendations on the Electoral Code, and the Assembly again failed to adopt its annual agenda.
Among 309 candidates for mayor there were only 32 women, and four women mayors were elected. By the editorial calculation, that is about 10.4 percent of the candidates. The Commission recommends quotas.
Progress exists, and the report states that no progress was made towards adopting the relevant constitutional changes. They remain the key to opening the negotiations, according to the Council Conclusions of 2022.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · November 11, 2026
