North Macedonia political and judicial institutional crises

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in North Macedonia has raised concerns regarding the state of national institutions and political conduct.

Initially, the LDP protested the degradation of political discourse, criticizing leaders of the SDSM and VMRO-DPMNE parties for using toxic language and insults. The party demanded that major political entities return 4 million euros in public funding, arguing that taxpayers should not fund parties that use resources to spread hatred.

Subsequently, the LDP warned of a functional collapse within the judicial system. Citing a report from the European Policy Institute, the party highlighted systemic neglect and chronic underfunding, noting that judicial spending sits at 0.26% of the GDP against a mandate of 0.8%. Reported issues include over 134,000 unresolved cases, outdated court facilities, and a lack of public prosecutors in some offices. The LDP also alleged that the executive branch is exerting political pressure on investigations, potentially undermining prosecutorial independence.

Recent developments reinforce these warnings, with the LDP noting that 18 of the 34 courts are currently inefficient. The party further highlighted that the lack of funds has led to the cancellation of recruitment for 130 judicial candidates.