Still unclear when Parliament will discuss the 35,569 amendments

It is as yet unclear when Parliament will discuss the amendments to the Law on the Use of Languages submitted by opposition party VMRO-DPMNE. Out of the total 35,569 amendments, only 17,000 have been translated into Albanian so far, Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi said on Tuesday.

The amendments, according to Xhaferi, are a political issue, and VMRO-DPMNE’s goal is to block the adoption of the law. Regardless of the final outcome, its constitutionality will be disputed.

“It is not within the Parliament’s competence to assess whether the law is constitutional or not,” Xhaferi told the press.

Asked if the amendments could be withdrawn, Xhaferi said he was talking to the opposition, as well as other MPs, on a daily basis.

“If they care about the procedures and about the state, they should change their minds,” Xhaferi said, asking the opposition to reconsider.

Speaking about the number of amendments, he pointed out that 35,569 amendments were submitted to a 4,000-word law. There are 33,844 amendments regarding Article 22 only.