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The essence of representative democracy is not only that national decisions will be made indirectly, but also that MPs as elected representatives of citizens should represent their interests and fight to solve their problems. This relationship between the citizen and the MP is crucial. To achieve this goal, elections are not the only, but only an initial means, and the relationship between MPs and citizens should be built continuously during the mandate of the MPs.
Political reality shows that there is a broken relationship between MPs and citizens, that is, between representatives and the represented. MPs are not sufficiently present among citizens, and citizens, in turn, for fear of being labeled as members of a political party, avoid direct contact with an MP to highlight the need to solve a certain problem.
However, this problem can be overcome with the help of modern digital solutions. Therefore, the Center for Change Management (CCM), within the framework of the project "Parliamentary Support Program", and in cooperation with the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, has developed an interactive web platform for the offices of members of parliament for contact with citizens https://kancelarii.sobranie.mk/, which represents a significant step towards modernizing the way these offices function and communicate with citizens.
The purpose of this platform is:
- To facilitate direct communication with members of parliament, so that citizens can submit information, proposals and suggestions on specific topics.
- To stimulate citizen participation in the work of the Assembly.
- To bring members of parliament closer to citizens.
- To strengthen the visibility of the offices and the work of members of parliament and the meetings they hold with citizens.
- To strengthen transparency and accountability in the work of members of parliament.
- To strengthen trust in the Parliament, as an accessible institution where citizens can turn to at any time
This platform allows for easy and quick scheduling of meetings
- A clear overview of MPs, their assistants, their contact information and their offices by municipality and political party.
- Digital scheduling of a meeting with an MP.
- Greater daily availability of MPs for contact with citizens, not just on Fridays, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament
- Choice of whether the meeting should be in person or electronically.
- Indication of the reasons for the meeting.
- Submission of a proposed initiative to the MP's office.
- Overview of statistics on the work of MPs' offices in real time, by number of meetings, number of submitted proposals/initiatives, cases by area and cases by time.
The web platform https://kancelarii.sobranie.mk/ has been active since May 2025 and as of 16.04.2026, the statistics show the following data:
- 702 meetings were held.
- The largest number of meetings were organized in September 2025 (116 meetings).
- 920 cases were formed.
- Of the formed cases, the largest number relate to the area of ​​employment and employment rights (250 cases), then in the area of ​​transport and infrastructure (137 cases) and the environment (89 cases)
- 9 initiatives were submitted.
- 372 events were organized.
- The platform is most often used by people aged 45-55, followed by people aged 35-45.
Through this web platform, every citizen can get in touch with MPs and discuss solving a certain problem. Also, this platform can be an effective tool for strategic advocacy of the interests of a group of citizens before the Parliament, i.e. the MPs.
We can illustrate this through examples. Various social movements, whether formal or informal, call for various proposals on which the MPs can do something. For example, if a law is called for, the MPs have direct authority to act. Furthermore, if it is a question of amending by-laws or the responsibility of an executive body, the MPs can influence the executive branch on that issue through the mechanisms of parliamentary control and oversight. Sometimes it may be enough for an MP to publicly support a certain movement or initiative in order to raise public awareness, and through this platform it is easier and faster to get in touch.
Hence, this platform provides an opportunity to seriously improve the quality of representative democracy in the country, but this will still depend on the willingness of the citizens to use it.