The Law on the use of languages stirs the public
The Law on the use of languages, which the President of the Parliament, Talat Xhaferi, signed late last night, was published today in the Official Gazette.
With the publication in the Official Gazette, this law enters into force and thus the Albanian language becomes the second official language in Macedonia.
VMRO-DPMNE considers that the publishing of the Law on languages and the Law on the ratification of the Prespa Agreement, without the signature of Ivanov, but with the signature of Talat Xhaferi, is unconstitutional. They will file criminal charges against the President of Parliament, Talat Xhaferi, and against the Director of the Official Gazette, Martin Kostovski. From the party they demand for the Constitutional Court to decide and to assess whether the publishing of the law on languages is according to the Constitution, and they are calling for a boycott of the law.
There was also a reaction from the cabinet of President Gjorge Ivanov.
“The publication of the Law on the use of languages and the Law on ratification of the Prespa Agreement in the Official Gazette without a signature of the decree of the President of the Republic of Macedonia is unconstitutional”, is said in Ivanov’s reaction.
The public enterprise “Official Gazette” came out with an announcement on the occasion of the publication of the Law on the languages and the Law on the ratification of the Final Agreement, for the termination of the validity of the Interim Accord from 1995 and the establishment of strategic partnership between the parties.
The “Official Gazette” refers to Article 52, paragraph 2 of the Constitution which states: “Laws come into force on the eighth day after the day of their publication at the earliest, or on the day of publication in exceptional cases determined by the Assembly”. They consider that the publication is in accordance with the Constitution and the laws, even though president Ivanov has not signed the law.
Presidential elections on April 21
The President of Parliament, Talat Xhaferi, today announced that the presidential elections will be announced on February 8, and that the first round of the elections will be held on April 21 and the second on May 5.
The initial agreement for the first round of elections to be held on April 14, and the second on April 28 has been changed because it coincides with Easter.
In three municipalities in Macedonia there will also be local elections where currently there are Acting Mayors of municipalities.
“Deadlines are being followed and on the same day when there will be election of the president, there will also be voting for election of mayors in these municipalities”, stated Xhaferi.
Five years for the implementation of the Prespa Agreement
With the implementation of the Prespa Agreement, the citizens will have a deadline of five years to change their personal documents, where the new name of the state “Republic of North Macedonia” will be included, and with the new amendments they will also include the ethnic affiliation of the minority communities.
In addition to the new personal documents, citizens will have to also acquire new license plates for their vehicles, which will have the abbreviation NM or NMK, no later than 5 years after the Prespa Agreement is ratified also in the Greek Parliament.
In the next five years the rest of the documentation of the public administration for external use will also have to be changed, but also for internal use and their issuing will start with the opening of each chapter of the relevant field in the negotiations with the EU.
Hearing for April 27 events has been postponed
Today’s hearing for the events that took place on April 27 in the Parliament has been postponed, because some of the accused who have requested amnesty have not received valid decisions. Judge Dobrila Kacarska, scheduled the next hearing for January 21.
Debate on confidence vote of the Greek government has begun
With a speech by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, this afternoon the debate began in the Greek Parliament on the vote of confidence.
The President of the Parliament announced the changes in the parliamentary groups, that is, the transfer of independent MP Aristides Fokas to the Independent Greeks and the deletion of Spyros Danellis from the REKA party.
The debate in the Parliament will end tomorrow midnight at the latest with the voting of the MPs.
#Perspectives2019
CIVIL Media continues with the publication of a series of interviews and texts with which it recapitulates the political and social reality of the year that is passing, and is trying, through conversations with selected experts and public figures to reveal the perspectives of the year ahead.
Before the public is the new series “Perspectives 2019”, in which for now you can read the views of Rozeta Trajan, Мirjana Maleska, Меrsiha Smailovik, Мirjana Najcevska, Husein Ademi, Маrta Gusar, Faton Aliti, Sashko Poposki and Saso Ordanoski.
А. Petrovska
