Parliament
Interpellation
At today’s press conference in the Parliament of Republic of Macedonia, VMRO-DPMNE coordinator Nikola Micevski announced that they submitted an interpellation against Minister of Interior, Oliver Spasovski.
“Minister Spasovski proved that he is leading the ministerial function contrary to the law”. With this explanation, VMRO-DPMNE coordinator Nikola Micevski said that they had submitted an interpellation against Minister of Interior, Oliver Spasovski. Micevski accused that instead of guaranteeing order and peace, MOI’s main task had become to hide the crime. According to Micevski, the MOI serves for protection and bribery. “Thanks to Oliver Spasovski, Macedonia has become a synonym for corruption”, stated Nikola Micevski from VMRO-DPMNE at the press conference in Parliament.
Anticorruption
The draft law on prevention of corruption and conflict of interests passed Parliament’s filter. At the first reading it passed with the support of 58 MPs, while 16 were against.
Following this voting, the law goes into further procedure to the primary Commission and other interested parliamentary bodies, from where it will return for a second reading at a plenary session for final voting and entering into force.
CIVIL held the conference “For society free of corruption” as the start of a series of activities in the fight against corruption, as one of the burning issues in society, where precisely these legal measures were also discussed, which are already in parliamentary procedure.
Finances
The MPs today, within the 66 session, started the debate on the Draft Law on Personal Income Tax, with which a progressive tax is actually being introduced. It is proposed for the law to be passed in shortened procedure.
Minister of Finance, Dragan Tevdovski assessed this law as a just solution, while according to the opposition this is a bad legal solution and a disaster for the Macedonian economy.
In addition to the tax rate of ten percent, a rate of 18 percent is also being introduced, which will apply to a tax base that exceeds one million and eighty thousand denars annually, that is, 90 thousand denars monthly. The application of the current tax rate remains for a tax base of up to one million and eighty thousand denars annually and up to 90 thousand per month.
Reconstruction in announcement
A day after the session of the central assembly of DUI, where changes in the top leadership were made, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Bujar Osmani officially announced changes in the government cabinet after the voting on the constitutional changes.
The Deputy Prime Minister for implementing the Framework Agreement, Hazbi Lika, for whom CIVIL Media long ago said that he might be replaced from the government position, finally lost his position – DUI Organizational Secretary. In his place, yesterday, the higher bodies of the party appointed MP Artan Grubi, latest Chief of Cabinet of the leader of the party, Ali Ahmeti. In addition to Grubi, DUI’s central assembly yesterday also appointed Atila Rexhepi as General Secretary, a position that remained empty after the death of Abdulaqim Ademi.
Amnesty
A total of 38 request for amnesty of those accused in the several cases related to the events in the Parliament of Republic of Macedonia on April 27, 2017, have been received until today in the Criminal Court in Skopje
The five-day deadline for submitting requests for amnesty expires tomorrow. The accused can submit their requests to the Court in person and by mail. After the deadline expires for submitting requests, the Court and the Prosecution will have a five-day deadline to reply as to who will be amnestied.
MOI
The Ministry of Interior announced that on the territory of the Sector of Interior Affairs Skopje and Sector of Interior Affairs Bitola, in the last couple of days, with the purpose of preventing illegal selling and use of pyrotechnic devises, that over 55.000 pieces of pyrotechnics had been found in just two persons.
The MOI informed that it would continue with measures and activities with the purpose of sanctioning such criminal acts.
Ahead of the New Year’s holidays, last week CIVIL appealed to all the citizens to spend the holidays safely because children are the most common victims of trauma, injuries, and even tragedies as a result of unconscious handling and misuse of weapons during celebratory gunfire, or while using pyrotechnic devises, most often firecrackers and pyrotechnic rockets.
Night before Christmas – Christmas Eve
Catholic Christians and part of Orthodox Christians who use the Gregorian calendar, celebrate Christmas Eve today, in wake of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ.
In Macedonia, the central celebration on the occasion of the holiday will be held in the Catholic Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus, in Skopje. The Holy Liturgy of Christmas will be held by Bishop of Skopje and Eparch of Strumica-Skopje, Kiro Stoyanov.
Human Rights and Freedoms
CIVIL – Center for Freedom declared the month of December as a month of human rights. We remind every day about the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Today on December 24, we recall on Article 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Human rights and freedoms are basic criteria that reflect the role of man and of citizen in a society, and are the clearest indicator of the character of the government.
D.Tahiri