Skopje, 26 March 2026 (MIA) — Macedonian, and its Cyrillic script, remains the official language of the country, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Thursday during a parliamentary questions session in response to the European Front coalition's MP Skender Rexhepi regarding language use and equitable ethnic representation. 

Rexhepi asked Mickoski why the government focused on ethnic issues amid an economic crisis. He also asked if government ministers needed interpreters, claiming that MPs were not required to know Macedonian if they spoke Albanian.

Mickoski said the new Law on Equitable Representation was currently undergoing institutional review and would soon be sent to the Venice Commission for an opinion before being put to a vote in Parliament. He dismissed claims that the law was unconstitutional.

"The law is constitutional, and not unconstitutional, as your coalition has been lying to Macedonians for 20 years," the prime minister said.

Mickoski said he had no personal issue with any language, but also pointed out that the Constitution defines Macedonian as the official language of the country.

"I'm not against Albanian or Turkish, Serbian, English. I'm not against any language in the world or will I ever be against any language. But if you read the Constitution, according to it, our official language is Macedonian and its Cyrillic script," the PM said.

He added that Albanian and other languages were used specifically according to constitutional provisions related to local self-government units.

Mickoski also addressed a recent incident involving a reporter's question to Minister of Education and Science Vesna Janevska whether she had "hired a translator" when visiting Tetovo.

The prime minister called the reporter's conduct "rude." He reiterated that individuals may speak Albanian or any other language they choose, but the state's official language remains Macedonian. mr/