Xhaferi: Ivanov will violate Constitution if he fails to sign the law on languages

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov will violate the Constitution if he fails to sign the bill of the Law on the Use of Languages, said Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi on Thursday.

Xhaferi did not say what would happen if Ivanov failed to sign the bill.

“I will not comment on hypothetical situations. Article 75 of the Constitution is clear in saying that the President is obliged to sign the bill after a repeated vote in the Parliament. If not, he violates constitutional provisions,” Xhaferi told reporters.

The Law on the Use of Languages was passed Wednesday in Parliament in a tense atmosphere by 64 votes in favor and none against or in abstention. The MPs did not debate any amendments to the bill. Twenty-four deputies from non-majority communities voted for the law.

The Law, which had been first passed on January 11, was sent back to Parliament after Ivanov refused to sign it.

President Ivanov said late Wednesday he would not sign the bill, adding that the Constitution and his conscience did not allow him to.