Macedonian state in front of the mirror of moral decline, negative selection and European justice

Strasbourg should not receive yard shots on fallen empires

Gjorgji Ilievski – Senior Environmental Inspector in retirement

When the Roman Republic began to collapse, it was not because of external enemies, but because of the internal moral breakup – the triumph of corruption, clientelism and systemic negative selection. Instead of virtuous statesmen, poltrons and tycoons were headed, whose decisions were guided by personal gain, not of public interest. So the end of a great empire began. The same fate has come to Byzantium. In the late period, the empire drowned in court intrigue, party divisions and brutal elimination of competent individuals. The imposition of incompetent but loyal officials brought the culmination of institutional breakup. History teaches that no state has only failed from the outside – the real decline always comes from within. Today’s Macedonia, on the eve of the election of a new judge in the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), is in front of the mirror of its own institutional and moral reality. Are we really ready to send a dignified representative that will symbolize our state in the highest court for human rights protection? Or will we send another product to our home negative selection?

European Court is not a career but a value mission

According to the Foreign Ministry Competition, 21 candidate applied for the ECHR judge. The conditions are clear: high moral reputation, at least 12 years of professional experience in the justice sector, deep knowledge of human rights, and competence for high judicial functions. But what is missing in the criteria is essential – proof that the candidate does not conduct any criminal or disciplinary action. In a state with deeply disrupted credibility of the justice system, this is not a formality – this is an essence. The public cannot and must not forget that our judiciary has faced the biggest affair in its recent history – the case of the Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPO). Instead of an institution of justice, the SPO has become a symbol of racket, political market and moral degradation. The money for « risk at work » was parted not only by prosecutors but also to children of judges, directors and close political ties. And instead of responsibility – silence, or worse, a reward with new features.
The Academy for Judges – Nursery of New Court officials?
The partisanship of the Academy for Judges and Prosecutors is probably the most dangerous symptom of a long -standing negative selection. It has become an institution where candidates are not elected by expertise, but by political eligibility, relatives or financial power. Children of powerful judges, prosecutors and party officials enter through strictly controlled filters. It creates a caste, closed, self -producing and responsible only in front of its sponsors. It is a modern version of the Byzantine yard. And just as the then Constantinople fell not because he was not rich, but because he was corrupt, so the Macedonian judiciary is slowly turning into a dysfunctional structure with shiny shape and corrupted content.

European justice does not recognize domestic alibi

The Council of Europe has clearly emphasized the double imperative: morality and quality. These are not symbolic terms. These are principles on which the legitimacy of the entire European Convention on Human Rights is based. Candidates who will represent the state before the Strasbourg court should be an example of independence, virtue and principles. These are not people who have received bonuses from party agreements. It is not staffed with a suspicious past or secret compromises. These are not the ones who owe his career on the phone, not the knowledge.
Europe wants judges, no court shots.
This message must be understood by all – both politicians and institutions, and candidates and the public. Europe does not get a mandate with domestic schemes. It is obtained by proven integrity and undisputed expertise.

Learning from others: How did some succeed?

Croatia and Slovenia, for example, have already set up judges in the ECtHR who enjoy a reputation in the international public. These are not individuals selected by party agreement, but experts with a career built on knowledge, principles and international recognition. When these states faced the election of a judge, public debate, transparency and inclusiveness of the expert public dominated. In Hungary, the negative elections have led to international criticism and distrust of institutions. That is why today that country is under constant monitoring of the rule of law. Macedonia must choose which way to go.

Macedonia must choose the road – either integrity, or isolation

So I ask: Are the three candidates sent by our country really the embodiment of dignity, justice and the European idea? Or are they selected after the same matrices of political agreements, loyalty and silent-criminus compromises? If we want Strasbourg to receive us with dignity, we must clear at home with hypocrisy. The European Union and the Council of Europe will not accept a fake flash. They will look through the form. They will ask: Who is behind the candidates? What is their moral balance? Do they carry Macedonia forward or pull it back?
There is no more room for alibi. There is no more a simulation opportunity. Europe is not naive, and time is pressing us. This is not just a judge’s choice. This is a referendum on what kind of Macedonia we want to be – worthy or sunken, European or Byzantine compromised, a state of law or a state of agreed injustice.

Last call to institutions

Now is the time for courage, not for calculations. Authorities, especially the Government and the Ministry of Justice, are obliged to suspend the circle of negative selection. To provide a transparent procedure, open to the public and the professional community. To provide a real integrity check, not just an administrative review of documents.
There is a solution – and it starts with will. If a judge with a clear conscience, undisputed knowledge and impartial biography are elected, Macedonia will send a message that it is finally distracting from the Balkan shadows and stepping into European light.
It’s not too late yet! But it’s the last chance!