First Vote on Constitutional Amendments at Beginning of July Earliest

“The parliamentary procedure and political negotiations for constitutional amendments can run parallel, there is no need to wait for a secure two-thirds majority,” stated the Speaker of Parliament, Talat Xhaferi, who shares the position of President Stevo Pendarovski. At a press briefing, he clarified that as soon as the initiative from the Government reaches the legislature, there is a deadline of 30 days until the session is scheduled, which initially only requires 40 votes to adopt the agenda, but the decision to open the constitution is the next and it is required at least 80 votes for, which the government did not provide. If a two-thirds majority is reached, Xhaferi’s calculations are that the entire process in the assembly would be completed in four and a half to six months at the most, or by November at the latest.