The Government has initiated a procedure for a Proposal for endorsing constitutional amendments, which have already been received in the Assembly. Despite the initiation of the procedure for constitutional amendments, it is uncertain whether there will be a sufficient number of MPs (80) for their adoption, or if there will be early parliamentary elections.
For many people in Macedonia, but also for the representatives of EU and NATO, early parliamentary elections are not a solution for overcoming this situation that arose following the referendum, when the turnout was around 37 percent, and the opposition MPs said that they would not support constitutional amendments.
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev today stated that he cannot confirm whether a two-thirds majority has been reached on the adoption of the constitutional amendments that are an obligation from the Prespa Agreement, but expressed optimism that through an inclusive debate, as he said, the progressive element would prevail.
‘No one can say. This will be known at the moment of the decision-making, certainly through the debate in Parliament. I believe, and we will know if that majority exists or not. We will not let anything ruin it’, stated Zaev.
‘The citizens who decided to participate in the Referendum, with over 90 percent gave a clear direction for Macedonia. Now the institutions of the system take over matters. The Government yesterday opened the initiative for constitutional amendments, and it was submitted to the Assembly the same day. I expect for the Parliament, today or tomorrow, to start the procedure before the Committee on Constitutional Issues’, highlighted Prime Minister Zoran Zaev at today’s debate titled: ‘Bridges or Walls? Macedonia and the Western Balkans in Europe’, organized within the framework of the Civil Society Forum Skopje 2018.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn, in an interview for Austrian ‘Standard, says that he is familiar with threats of the opposition against MPs who want to leave the party line and support the Agreement with Greece in Parliament. He requested from VMRO-DPMNE to leave, as he says, the destructive approach and to put the interests of the country and the citizens before party interests.
Professors Dalibor Jovanovski, Nikos Chausidis, Ljudmil Spasov, Ana Chupeska – Staniskovska, Fahri Ramadani and Kica Kolbe are members of the Joint Interdisciplinary Committee of Experts (ZIKE) on historical, archaeological and educational issues from the Macedonian side, headed by Ambassador Viktor Gaber.
Today in the Criminal Court, the trial continued for the events that took place in the Parliament of Republic of Macedonia on April 27 last year. At the previous hearing, four witnesses were heard, who explained their actions during the protests in front of the Parliament, as well as on the critical April 27th last year.
CIVIL – Center for Freedom most strongly condemns the urban rampage in the Municipality of Aerodrom, and expresses strong support for the discontented citizens, who have announced a protest for today.
‘We remind the Mayor of the Municipality of Aerodrom, Zlatko Marin, that his function and task is to be on the citizens’ side and their interests. And the interests of these citizens who are living in the most polluted municipality in Skopje are certainly not the new multi-storey buildings, but clean air and a health environment’, is said in CIVIL’s announcement.
А. Petrovska
