Regarding President Stevo Pendarovski’s position that he doesn’t agree with ethnic origin being included in identity documents, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told reporters on Thursday that although they share the same values it’s normal that he and the President don’t agree on everything, but commended his position that he will sign the bill into law anyway.
“I read President Stevo Pendarovski’s interview very carefully, in which he says that he will sign the bill into law if it’s adopted by the majority. Sometimes those of us who share the same values have different positions. The President is the head of state and I respect that, so we’ll discuss the issue the first chance we get. However, this process was brought on by constitutional changes,” Zaev said after the joint press conference with Union of High School Students president Blendi Hodai.
President Pendarovski in an interview with MKD.mk on Wednesday said that he doesn’t agree with ethnic origin being included in identity documents, noting that it is not a practice in democratic countries around the world. However, he added that if the ruling coalition comes to an agreement, and if there’s majority to adopt the bill in regular procedure, he doesn’t have any significant arguments against not signing the bill into law.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the proposal was submitted by BESA in 2019 when constitutional changes were made, stressing that it was a promise made by the ruling coalition.
“BESA asked for it, everyone presented their arguments and the government agreed that it was acceptable and in line with the Prespa Agreement. In a multiethnic society, when smaller ethnicities make noise, we can’t stay silent. The largest ethnic community, Macedonians, won’t lose anything,” Zaev noted.
He added that all ethnic communities will be treated equally, stressing that citizenship is mandatory in all documents and no one says that ethnic origin shouldn’t be included as well.
“Our country is very different from others, in a good way. North Macedonia is characterized by multiple ethnicities, cultures and religions, which is a treasure that should be nurtured and upgraded,” the PM said.
He stressed that arguments were discussed by experts who also consulted the Prespa Agreement.
“It’s important to respect citizenship. The ethnic identity of Macedonians was confirmed by the Prespa Agreement, and so was the Macedonian language, so this does not threaten anyone’s interests,” Zaev underlined.
He added that the issue was also discussed by relevant institutions and the Interior Ministry and stressed satisfaction over the fact that it received the support of opposition party VMRO-DPMNE.
Asked whether the ruling party will support changes to North Macedonia’s Electoral Code,
aiming to establish a single electoral district across the country, Zaev told reporters that changes to the Electoral Code require broad consensus to protect people’s trust and implement the latest OSCE/ODIHR recommendations in the document.
“Our position is clear. We’re in favor of a single electoral district at the next parliamentary election and open lists at local election. However, we all have to support changes, it’s not fair for the major parties to make decisions alone. We also want to hear from the opposition, as the side that has to trust the electoral code the most,” Zaev underlined.
