Macedonia Press Review – March 18, 2013

DNEVNIK

The daily analyzes the body speech of the main political opponents at the March 24 local elections. Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski uses highly raised arm and an open palm to greet his supporters at meetings while the opposition leader Branko Crvenkovski raises his arm in a tightly gripped fist. The open palm and the tight fists have become the strongest nonverbal symbols of the campaign, observers say, increasing the strength of the political message that the two politicians convey to the electorate.

UTRINSKI VESNIK

The head of the OSCE/ODIHR local election monitoring mission to Macedonia, Gerth Arens says that they are getting many complaints about the election campaign of irregularities so far but that they will put them as remarks in their report only if they are confirmed. In an interview for the daily Arens says that they receive reports varying from misuse of state administrative resources for political campaign purposes, to cases of pressuring people for whom to cast their vote.

Balkan Insight has not verified the reports and cannot vouch for their accuracy.