site.btaNorth Macedonia Is Partly Free Country, Freedom House Report

In the latest report of the NGO Freedom House, which monitors the state of democracy around the world, the Republic of North Macedonia is again positioned in the group of partly free countries, along with Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to the media.

The Washington-based organization assesses the state of freedom in each country using a scoring system from zero to one hundred, and the more points a country has, the freer it is. Depending on how many points a country scores, it falls into one of three categories: free countries, partly free countries and not free countries.

North Macedonia has 67 points and is in the same position it was in last year, local media note.

In the political rights category, the country scored 28 out of 40 points, and for civil liberties, 39 out of 60 points.

"The country continues to struggle with corruption, and while the media and civil society engage in lively public discourse, journalists and activists face pressure and intimidation," the NGO was quoted by Deutsche Welle as saying.

The media outlet reminded that in last the report, North Macedonia was among the countries where regular changes in the ruling elite lead to a lack of significant structural change and where rival parties, dominated by their personalities or the personal commitments of their leaders, constantly politicize institutions. The lack of serious steps to eradicate corruption and changes in the criminal code have lowered the score for North Macedonia compared to the results published in previous years.