ANALYSIS OF THE POSSIBILITY OF CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES IN NORTH MACEDONIA AFTER THE 2024 ELECTIONS
Keywords:
North Macedonia, European Union, Constitutional Changes, Parliamentary elections 2024Abstract
This paper will focus on the analysis of the new political circumstances created after the change of government in the Republic of North Macedonia, through the presidential and parliamentary elections in May 2024. Specifically, the possibility of constitutional changes (for the introduction of Bulgarians into the Constitution), after the coming to power of VMRO-DPMNE, which traditionally categorically opposes constitutional changes. The topic has a special significance because it is analyzed whether these political positions will remain unchanged during the four-year mandate in the future. If so, then there is no doubt that this approach could remove North Macedonia from its path to the EU or at least suspend membership for a period of time until these positions are consistent. The most undesirable variant of the effect of the change of government can be regressive on the country's path to the EU, but also in the deterioration of inter-ethnic relations between the Macedonian community (the majority are against the constitutional changes) and the Albanian community (who strongly support EU membership) as well as the deterioration of neighboring relations, especially with Bulgaria.
Historical, descriptive, comparative methods, analysis of public opinion through a survey will be used. First, the constitutional changes after the independence of the country until today will be described. Then the approaches of different political entities and communities in relation to constitutional amendments over time will be compared and analyzed. Then the data obtained from the conducted survey and from the previous ones will be processed, which connect the public opinion on the constitutional amendments.
This paper, in addition to drawing the predicted results, aims to propose other researches by other researchers, which will be related to the effect of statements from the point of view of the opposition and acting from a position of power. An analysis of the interests of certain communities, the interests of the state and the geopolitical circumstances in which we live can often be woven here.
Finally, we will draw some conclusions and make some suggestions that can serve the readers, the academic and the political community.
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