Parliament adopts the Prespa Agreement with 81 votes


With 81 votes in favour, the Macedonian Parliament adopted the amendments to four articles of the Constitution and thus accepted the name agreement with Greece. Once the parliament in Athens ratifies the process, the country’s new name will be the Republic of North Macedonia, and there will be other interventions in the Constitution. In return, […]

VMRO will stand aside, but will still exclude members who vote “in favour”


VMRO-DPMNE remains on its stance and will not participate in the work of the Parliament where the final phase of the constitutional changes for ratification of the name agreement with Greece begins today. The party expects its lawmakers to be united this time and not to vote in favour of the Prespa Agreement, but, just […]

Will the Prespa Agreement secure 80 votes in Parliament?


Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has announced that 76 MPs have confirmed that they will offer their support for the constitutional amendments needed to be ratified in order for the country’s new name, “North Macedonia” to take effect. However, he’s optimistic that the Prespa Agreement will manage to secure more votes than this. In order for the […]

Parliament to dismiss ministers Aksel Ahmedovski and Adnan Kjahil


The Parliament will hold Wednesday a session for dismissal of Minister for the Roma Strategy Implementation, Aksel Ahmedovski and Minister for Foreign Investments Adnan Kjahil. Muzafer Bajram is set to replace Ahmedovski while Elvin Hasan will take over from Kjahil. The session agenda also includes several bills and law amendments.

The tents are gone, the protests continue


Dozens of pigeons gathered in the “Woman Fighter” park in the center of Skopje are feeding on the crumbs of bread and other food that was left around the ASNOM monument. The scattered paper and one portable toilet simulate that until recently “someone was living there”. Among the branches of the nearest tree is the […]

Xhaferi: Constitutional changes will be completed by mid-January


Macedonia’s Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi believes the constitutional changes from the Prespa Agreement will be completed by mid-January. Xhaferi says the law ratifying the agreement and the law on languages could then be forwarded c for publishing to the Official Gazette without the signature of President  Ivanov. “The session on the constitutional revision is scheduled for […]

Macedonia’s MPs pass new law on anti-corruption commission


A bill on the prevention of corruption and conflict of interests was passed Monday in its first reading. 58 MPs voted in favor with 16 voting against. The law regulates the two areas, corruption and conflict of interest, and it includes precise definitions of office-holder, family, close family members and friends as well as a […]

Debates on constitutional amendments continue


Parliamentary debates continue in Macedonia regarding the approval of the amendments which are part of the Prespa Agreement on the name. Yesterday, MPs voted in favour of the amendment which changes the country’s constitutional name from “Republic of Macedonia” to “Republic of North Macedonia”, while today, lawmakers are expected to vote the two remaining amendments. […]

Parliament adopts draft amendment to change the name with 67 votes ‘in favor’


The Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia on the continuation of the 64th session, with 67 votes in favor, four abstentions and 23 against, adopted the draft amendment XXXIII of the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia. The first amendment envisages in the Constitution the words “Republic of Macedonia” to be replaced by the words “Republic […]

Zaev to meet with the new parliamentary group on constitutional amendments


The new independent parliamentary group, formed by eight MPs from VMRO-DPMNE and the coalition “For Better Macedonia”, which voted “for” accession to constitutional changes, will meet today with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and the ministers of foreign affairs and justice, Nikola Dimitrov and Renata Treneska Deskoska, to discuss the draft amendments to the Constitution that […]

Avirovic joins the excluded MPs from VMRO-DPMNE


The excluded MPs from VMRO-DPMNE who voted for constitutional changes do not intend to return their terms, as the parent-party demands. They are having their last consultations, after which the official formation of a new parliamentary group is announced, which will act independently in the Parliament. For now, their group will have eight MPs, but […]

Debates on the issue of national reconciliation


Macedonian Parliament will be expecting PM Zoran Zaev to propose the appointment of a parliamentary committee for pardoning and national reconciliation. In coordination with the speaker of Parliament, coordinators of parliamentary formations have agreed that the majority and opposition should have an equal number of members in the committee. Not explaining what the essence of […]

Assembly said YES to constitutional changes


A majority vote of 80 MPs has approved the decision to open the constitution for constitutional amendments to the name under the Prespa Agreement. These changes will enable the country’s name change in the Republic of North Macedonia in accordance with the Prespa Agreement reached between Skopje and Athens. Initially, it was voted through the […]

Parliament schedules session on constitutional changes for 21:00h on Friday


The Parliament set the session on constitutional changes from the Prespa Agreement for 21:00h on Friday. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said while leaving the Parliament there are attempts to secure a two-thirds majority under normal circumstances. – It is up to the Parliament to schedule the session, PM Zaev stated for the media. The VMRO-DPMNE MP […]

Except for Mukoski, all accused MPs will be able to vote in Parliament


The five MPs accused of opening the doors of the Parliament on April 27 arrived to the hearing at the new building of the Criminal Court yesterday. Three of them, Krsto Mukoski, Ljuben Arnaudov and Saso Vasilevski, were brought by house arrest, while Johan Tarculovski and Ljupco Dimovski came home. Before the trial and breaks, […]

Dilemmas surrounding the voting of the Prespa agreement


Today marks the third day of debates on the constitutional amendments which need to be voted in order for the Prespa agreement to take effect. Experts of political developments say that the fact that these debates still continue, is offering an opportunity to the majority and opposition to reach compromise on the voting of the […]

Mickoski: If Mogherini can address the Parliament, why can’t I?


The leader of VMRO-DPMNE Hristijan Mickoski claims that if Federica Mogerini and Jens Stoltenberg could address the Assembly, he too should be able to. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Mickoski behaves like the Dalai Lama, calling his speech “forbidden”. “Be patient, one of these days you will hear the forbidden speech and everything I […]