Discussion on Constitutional Changes in Macedonia Begins

The amendments should be in line with the Agreement with Greece on the new name of the state, Northern Macedonia. Four amendments will be changed, including the preamble to remove the Macedonian name and last name from all provisions of the Constitution, but other elements opposed to the agreement reached on June 17th in Prespa.

With this agreement, Macedonia will eventually resolve its 27-year dispute with Greece, which in turn will lift its veto of the country's membership in NATO and the European Union.

From the opposition, they have said that the agreement remains in the position that “is harmful to the identity, language and being in general”, so they will not support any phase of constitutional changes, while calling for “to respect the people's will in the referendum on September 30th, which about 70 per cent of the population boycotted as an expression of revolt with the chaptering agreement”.

Officials of political issues say the first phase of constitutional changes was the most difficult to achieve, because power did not have enough of two-thirds. However, the second phase in their opinion will not be easy because of objections that may arise over amendments, but also the possibility of any change in the attitude of those who gave support to the first phase is not ruled out.

Albanian opposition parties will intervene with some amendments to resolving issues related to Albanians. The Alliance for Albanians and one side of the Besa Movement demand that Albanians in the Constitution be an official people, while the Albanian language is not treated as languages that speak over 20 percent of the population but as Albanian language equals Macedonian.