Last phase to change Macedonia's name begins

From Albanian Opposition Party B Casam's ESA yesterday at the joint press conference in the Assembly confirmed that they continue with talks concerning their demands, with which they condition their two MPs' support for constitutional changes.

In the question of whether to back the government's amendments if their proposals are not accepted, EUSI MP Fadil Zendeli said they would look through the debate, about how the entire procedure is conducted.

This is a question of the debate. I cannot facilitate, leave space in tomorrow's debate and the next few days, how the majority and Government will reflect. We will then come up with an adequate approach”, Zendeli said, stressing that their demands are essential, while they have not surrendered in pro form and that they strongly remain in those requirements.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev at yesterday's meeting with Alliance for Albanians leader Ziadin Sela stated that he has accepted Sela's proposal regarding the preamble section “citizens living on the borders”, stating that the latest wording will be Macedonia's “citizens, the Macedonian people and a part of the Albanian people, a part of the Turkish people, a part of the people vlah<3>.

Zaev said that at the meeting it has confirmed that the Alliance for Albanians will provide support for constitutional amendments and constitutional process in the Assembly, voicing conviction that the same will happen to the EUSI.

The Sela after the meeting said agreement has been reached with Macedonia's prime minister, Zoran Zaev, regarding the Alliance's demands for Albanians regarding the ASH's demands.

“We are proud as the Alliance for Albanians that with our contribution we have made at least that the first sentence of the Constitution, Preambula, to remove the injustice of definition of things in the form of two categories of citizens”, said The Sela, adding that the preambulla has been removed from the “that live” while today the agreement has been reached to remove the “sentence and citizens living in the state<5>.

According to Silas, this makes all citizens feel more equal, and everyone sees himself most represented in the Constitution.

The prime minister committed to European Affairs, Bujar Osmani yesterday, prior to the Eurointegration Co-operative Committee meeting in the question of journalists to comment on the requirements of the EU and the Alliance for Albanians regarding constitutional changes, stressed that he does not consider that Albanian political parties are part of those factors that want to destroy the process, but mentioned that the worst service that will at the moment be made to Albanians is to be ordered that they do not curb the membership of the Republic of Macedonia in NATO.

“There is no more important ethnic interest for Albanians than Macedonia's NATO membership. It is the greatest and most essential interest of Albanians in any other ethnic interest at the moment, because it is guarantee that Albanians will be part of the Western European family of values, part of which with generations aim to be”, Osmani said.

Such charges as curbing the country's NATO integration rejected both the EUSA and the Alliance. According to Zendel, they support the initial procedure for constitutional changes, but during the process, the rules of the game have been changed, new issues that they consider controversial have been added, so “responsibility must take on those who change the rules of the game”.

For Sela, the real ones who challenged her and in a way led this process to drag forward is exactly Osman, who was minister of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's government.

Prime Minister Zaev voiced optimism that, however, he would manage to secure the necessary majority in Macedonia's Parliament ahead of the final vote on constitutional changes necessary for implementation of the Prespa Agreement. He says, the number of MPs' support will be known during the vote.

“The Albanian bloc's two opposition parties so far were constructive in terms of the process of constitutional changes. Some of their suggestions have been decided. All political parties strongly support the Euro-integration process, but we will also talk to them about the issues that have the reserve of”, the head of government ordered.

THE main requirements of the ECSI are to establish that the state is not monoethnic, as the section “Macedonian citizenship” and in the diaspora part implies. The Alliance requires Albanian language and its writing to be used in the entire territory of the country, and after words “independent, sovereign” to add the word “-multical”, while the Macedonian people “must be replaced by “centiary” to emphasize the multiethnic character of the state.

Meanwhile, the eight deputies of the independent VMRO-group The DPMNE warned that it would not give support to the ruling majority and will not give the vote “for” constitutional changes if the Government decides to accept the EU application, the term “Macedonian “to hide from documents, as they estimate it is contrary to guarantees for identity reinforcement.

VMRO- The opposition DPMNE, which will still not participate in the debate on amendments, was warned that even further it will exclude MPs from its party ranks if they are positively promoted to the assembly hearing for constitutional changes. This was warned by Deputy Chairmans Aleksandar Nikolovski. The party's Central Committee already ruled out seven MPs after the vote for the opening of constitutional changes after a two-thirds majority of exactly 80 votes “for”, but also several party members who were put forward against the party's stance for refusing to change the Constitution.

For the text of the Constitution's amendments, which today should be in the plenary session, the proposor, every MP. The labour body and government, when not proposing, have been able to draft later eight days before the Assembly session in which amendments to the Constitution will be adopted. In the Republic of Macedonia's decision on legal terms, 10 amendments to the Constitutional Proposals and the Six from the Alliance of Albanians, three from the EU and one from the Independent Group of VMRO- DPMNE and the coalition. Independents with the amendment submitted propose in the 33 article amendment 1 under paragraph 2 to add the new paragraph 3 by which the name Republic of Northern Macedonia is only for international use. Two amendments to the Law on the Implementation of the Constitution have also been submitted, by one from the EUSA and by LSDM.

For bringing in constitutional amendments it is necessary to vote on at least 80 MPs.

On October 19th, the Parliament, with the support of 80th and 39th votes, initiated the procedure for access to constitutional changes. A two-thirds majority was secured with eight VMRO deputies' votes The opposition DPMNE, a part of them charged in PPS cases and the 27 April events. / MIA/