ANNEX A
COSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
Preamble
The citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, taking over responsibility for the present and future of
their fatherland, aware and grateful to their predecessors for their sacrifice and dedication in their
endeavors and struggle to create an independent and sovereign state of Macedonia, and responsible
to future generations to preserve and develop everything that is valuable from the rich cultural
inheritance and coexistence within Macedonia, equal in rights and obligations towards the common
good - the Republic of Macedonia, in accordance with the tradition of the Krushevo Republic and
the decisions of the Antifascist People's Liberation Assembly of Macedonia, and the Referendum
of September 8, 1991, they have decided to establish the Republic of Macedonia as an independent,
sovereign state, with the intention of establishing and consolidating rule of law, guaranteeing
human rights and civil liberties, providing peace and coexistence, social justice, economic well-
being and prosperity in the life of the individual and the community, and in this regard through
their representatives in the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, elected in free and democratic
elections, they adopt ….
Article 7
(1) The Macedonian language, written using its Cyrillic alphabet,
is the official language
throughout the Republic of Macedonia and in the international relations
of the Republic of
Macedonia.
(2) Any other language spoken by at least 20 percent of the population
is also an official language,
written using its alphabet, as specified below.
(3) Any official personal documents of citizens speaking an official
language other than
Macedonian shall also be issued in that language, in addition to
the Macedonian language, in
accordance with the law.
(4) Any person living in a unit of local self-government in which
at least 20 percent of the
population speaks an official language other than Macedonian may
use any official language to
communicate with the regional office of the central government with
responsibility for that
municipality; such an office shall reply in that language in addition
to Macedonian. Any person
may use any official language to communicate with a main office
of the central government, which
shall reply in that language in addition to Macedonian.
(5) In the organs of the Republic of Macedonia, any official language
other than Macedonian may
be used in accordance with the law. (6) In the units of local self-government
where at least 20 percent of the population speaks a
particular language, that language and its alphabet shall be used
as an official language in addition
to the Macedonian language and the Cyrillic alphabet. With respect
to languages spoken by less
than 20 percent of the population of a unit of local self-government,
the local authorities shall
decide on their use in public bodies.
Article 8
(1) The fundamental values of the constitutional order of theRepublic
of Macedonia are:
- the basic freedoms and rights of the individual and citizen, recognized
in international law and set
down in the Constitution;
- equitable representation of persons belonging to all communities
in public bodies at all levels and
in other areas of public life;
. . .
Article 19
(1) The freedom of religious confession is guaranteed.
(2) The right to express one's faith freely and publicly,individually
or with others is guaranteed.
(3) The Macedonian Orthodox Church, the Islamic Religious Community
in Macedonia, the
Catholic Church, and other Religious communities and groups are separate
from the state and equal before the law.
(4) The Macedonian Orthodox Church, the Islamic Religious Community
in Macedonia, the
Catholic Church, and other Religious communities and groups are free
to establish schools and
other social and charitable institutions, by ways of a procedure regulated
by law.
Article 48
(1) Members of communities have a right freely to express, foster
and develop their identity
and community attributes, and to use their community symbols.
(2) The Republic guarantees the protection of the ethnic, cultural,linguistic
and religious identity
of all communities. (3) Members of communities have the right to establish
institutions for culture, art, science and
education, as well as scholarly and other associations for the expression,
fostering and development
of their identity.
(4) Members of communities have the right to instruction in their
language in primary and
secondary education, as determined by law. In schools where education
is carried out in
another language, the Macedonian language is also studied.
Article 56
. . .
(2) The Republic guarantees the protection, promotion and enhancement
of the historical and
artistic heritage of Macedonia and all communities in Macedonia and
the treasures of which it is
composed, regardless of their legal status. The law regulates the
mode and conditions under which
specific items of general interest for the Republic can be ceded for
use.
Article 69
. . .
(2) For laws that directly affect culture, use of language, education,
personal documentation, and
use of symbols, the Assembly makes decisions by a majority vote of
the Representatives attending,
within which there must be a majority of the votes of the Representatives
attending who claim to
belong to the communities not in the majority in the population of
Macedonia. In the event of a
dispute within the Assembly regarding the application of this provision,
the Committee on Inter-
Community Relations shall resolve the dispute.
Article 77
(1) The Assembly elects the Public Attorney by a majority vote of
the total number of
Representatives, within which there must be a majority of the votes
of the total number of
Representatives claiming to belong to the communities not in the majority
in the population of
Macedonia.
(2) The Public Attorney protects the constitutional rights and legal
rights of citizens when violated
by bodies of state administration and by other bodies and organizations
with public mandates. The
Public Attorney shall give particular attention to safeguarding the
principles of non-discrimination
and equitable representation of communities in public bodies at all
levels and in other areas of
public life.
. . . .
Article 78
(1) The Assembly shall establish a Committee for Inter-Community Relations.
(2) The Committee consists of seven members each from the ranks of
the Macedonians and
Albanians within the Assembly, and five members from among the Turks,
Vlachs, Romanies and
two other communities. The five members each shall be from a different
community; if fewer than
five other communities are represented in the Assembly, the Public
Attorney, after consultation
with relevant community leaders,shall propose the remaining members
from outside the Assembly.
(3) The Assembly elects the members of the Committee.
(4) The Committee considers issues of inter-community relations in
the Republic and makes
appraisals and proposals for their solution.
(5)The Assembly is obliged to take into consideration the appraisals
and proposals of the
Committee and to make decisions regarding them.
(6) In the event of a dispute among members of the Assembly regarding
the application of the
voting procedure specified in Article 69(2), the Committee shall decide
by majority vote whether
the procedure applies.
Article 84
The President of the Republic of Macedonia .
. . .
- proposes the members of the Council for Inter-Ethnic Relations;
. . . .
Article 86
(1) The President of the Republic is President of the Security Council
of the Republic of
Macedonia.
(2) The Security Council of the Republic is composed of the President
of the Republic, the
President of the Assembly, the Prime Minister, the Ministers heading
the bodies of state
administration in the fields of security, defence and foreign affairs
and three members appointed by
the President of the Republic. In appointing the three members, the
President shall ensure that the
Security Council as a whole equitably reflects the composition of
the population of Macedonia.
3) The Council considers issues relating to the security and defence
of the Republic and makes
policy proposals to the Assembly and the Government.
Article 104
(1) The Republican Judicial Council is composed of seven members.
(2) The Assembly elects the members of the Council. Three of the members
shall be elected by a
majority vote of the total number of Representatives, within which
there must be a majority of the
votes of the total number of Representatives claiming to belong to
the communities not in the
majority in the population of Macedonia.
. . . .
Article 109
(1) The Constitutional Court of Macedonia is composed of nine judges.
(2) The Assembly elects six of the judges to the Constitutional Court
by a majority vote of the total
number of Representatives. The Assembly elects three of the judges
by a majority vote of the total
number of Representatives, within which there must be a majority of
the votes of the total number
of Representatives claiming to belong to the communities not in the
majority in the population of
Macedonia.
. . . .
Article 114
. . .
(5) Local self-government is regulated by a law adopted by a two-thirds
majority vote of the total
number of Representatives, within which there must be a majority of
the votes of the total number
of Representatives claiming to belong to the communities not in the
majority in the population of
Macedonia. The laws on local finances, local elections, boundaries
of municipalities, and the city
of Skopje shall be adopted by a majority vote of the Representatives
attending, within which there
must be a majority of the votes of the Representatives attending who
claim to belong to the
communities not in the majority in the population of Macedonia.
Article 115
(1) In units of local self-government, citizens directly and through
representatives participate in
decision-making on issues of local relevance particularly in the fields
of public services, urban and
rural planning, environmental protection, local economic development,
local finances, communal
activities, culture, sport, social security and child care, education,
health care and other fields
determined by law.
. . . .
Article 131
(1) The decision to initiate a change in the Constitution is made
by the Assembly by a two-thirds
majority vote of the total number of Representatives.
(2) The draft amendment to the Constitution is confirmed by the Assembly
by a majority vote of
the total number of Representatives and then submitted to public debate.
(3) The decision to change the Constitution is made by the Assembly
by a two-thirds majority vote
of the total number of Representatives.
(4) A decision to amend the Preamble, the articles on local self-government,
Article 131, any
provision relating to the rights of members of communities, including
in particular Articles 7, 8, 9,
19, 48, 56, 69, 77, 78, 86, 104 and 109, as well as a decision to
add any new provision relating to
the subject matter of such provisions and articles, shall require
a two-thirds majority vote of the
total number of Representatives, within which there must be a majority
of the votes of the total
number of Representatives claiming to belong to the communities not
in the majority in the
population of Macedonia.
(5) The change in the Constitution is declared by the Assembly.
