Gevgelija, 16 April 2024 (MIA) — We have to have constitutional patriotism. We have to respect the fundamental provisions of the Constitution, and especially the Preamble, which is a small text preceding the Constitution but it is the very philosophy of the Constitution; it is the Macedonian constitutional and legal memory, VMRO-DPMNE's presidential candidate Gordana Siljanovska Davkova said at a Gevgelija rally on Tuesday evening.

"You cannot change facts like those from ASNOM or those about the creation of the Macedonian state, which happened on Sept. 8. You can't run away from it. No one does this. If it is only you doing it, everyone will be surprised and will not respect you," Siljanovska Davkova said.

She added that most constitutional amendments so far had not been made for the sake of building a functional and democratic state. There were many problematic solutions in the Constitution that needed to be amended, she said.

"We need to think carefully before any constitutional amendments. We should seek consensus. Since everyone is now saying we need constitutional amendments, let me say: Yes, we need constitutional amendments but not for reworking the Preamble and turning it into a phone book listing all possible neighbors," she said, adding that amendments were needed on determining how the mandate for forming the government was to be given, for instance.

VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski also spoke at the Gevgelija rally.

"These elections are also about getting Macedonia back into the hands of the people. The changes are in your hands, so that Macedonia can be yours again, yours again," Mickoski said. mr/