President Pendarovski Does Not Sign Law on Legalisation of Buildings

President Stevo Pendarovski sent an official notice to Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi that he did not sign the Law on Legalisation of Illegal Buildings that was adopted by the Parliament last week. “After thorough analyses of the law text, I concluded that certain sections of the law go against the values contained and promoted in the Constitution of North Macedonia. The way it is created now, this law is introducing certain privileges for specific groups of citizens, and also intrudes the work and the independence of the judiciary, because some sections provide a form of concealed amnesty for entities that have committed criminal activities by constructing illegal buildings and objects. As a President of North Macedonia, I have to obey the Constitution and the laws, and protect the interest of the citizens of our country, which is why I cannot sign and approve this law,” Pendarovski writes in his notice. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev reacted that the law is necessary in order to secure homes or over 50,000 citizens from socially vulnerable categories.