Seven days after the Law on the Use of Languages was voted in Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia, and President Gjorge Ivanov has refused to sign the Decree for its entry into force, and now it is still not clear what will happen further on.
Such a situation has not been foreseen by the Constitution, which, although it says that the president should sign the second vote in Parliament, it is not clear what happens if he does not sign off on it.
According to the explanation of the legislative process on the Parliament’s website, in normal conditions, the law should have been published in the Official Gazette, i.e. within 7 days of the vote.
When Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi was asked what they are going to do regarding this issue, he answered in laconic manner that “there are variations”.
Some experts believe that if he does not sign the decree, Ivanov will face criminal charges, and officially, the Public Prosecutor will have to process the case.
According to university professor Temelko Ristovski, Ivanov’s refusal means intimidating the part of the legislative competence, which creates a duality, i.e. a conflict of competent bodies.
In the meantime, Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi stressed that the president is obliged to sign off on the law, because it was voted in a legal procedure.
The idea was put forward if Ivanov refuses to approve the law for so long, so it could be published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia in order to be put into force, Xhaferi will be able to sign the decree, as second in rank – after the president of the state.
