60. The provisions on language in the Code are very complex, and include the following:
· Election bodies in municipalities which have the necessary minority population are required to use that minority language, in addition to the Macedonian language, as an official language;[20]
· It is not entirely clear in what language (script) voters’ list records concerning individuals must be kept,[21] but in any event implementation of any requirement on this subject would be indefinitely deferred;[22]
· Candidate lists in qualified municipalities would be printed in the Macedonian and the relevant minority language, both for presidential and parliamentary elections and municipal elections,[23] but it is not clear whether submitters of such lists would be required to submit them in both languages except during local elections;[24]
· With respect to ballot-papers, the name of the list submitter and candidate(s) would be printed in any recognised minority language as well as the Macedonian language at the request of the submitter,[25] and bilingual entire ballots would be available in qualified municipalities (viz., those in which at least 20% of the population speak a minority language);[26]
· Voting instructions in polling stations are required to be in all constitutionally-recognised minority languages, but there is no requirement that posted candidate lists also be in all languages;[27]
· For Parliamentary elections, consolidated candidate lists for the first time are required to be published in a daily newspaper in the language of a minority (viz., the ethnic Albanians) which constitutes at least 20% of the national population;[28] but list submitters are not required to use a minority language in addition to Macedonian, except if the population of that minority in a parliamentary election district (not municipality) is at least 20% of the entire population there.[29]
