Skopje, 3 June 2025 (MIA) – The coordinators of the parliamentary groups of VMRO-DPMNE, SDSM and European Front said Tuesday that the bill on declaring the area surrounding the Parliament a security zone aims at preventing private entities from building private constructions near the legislative house. It is not intended to enforce a ban on protests, they stressed.

VMRO-DPMNE parliamentary group coordinator Nikola Miceski told reporters that the legislation offers a way to mark the area around the assembly, which should be in its ownership in order to be able to implement projects that have been planned there.   

“The legislation has been prepared for a longer period of time and the working group included representatives of the Ombudsman’s Office, the City of Skopje, Parliament, the Transport Ministry as well as government members. All parliamentary group coordinators signed the bill in order the issue to be overcome,” stated Miceski. 

Under the bill, protests will not be banned, but frontiers will be marked to designate the plot in ownership of the Parliament, he said. 

The goal is to protect the area surrounding the Parliament preventing private entities from building any constructions in the radius of 2.5 meters, reiterated SDSM parliamentary group coordinator Oliver Spasovski.

“In 2009, the then VMRO-DPMNE government sold a state plot 2.5 meters near the Parliament to a private company to build a multistorey park… It cannot be allowed a multistorey park to be building by a private owner near facilities of vital and national interests. The zone [around Parliament] will be protected so as to not be misused further,” said Spasovski. 

Echoing the same sentiment, European Front MP Blerim Bexheti said protests will not be banned. 

A bill on declaring an area surrounding the Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia a security zone is included in the agenda of today’s session. The motion in a fact-tracked procedure is signed by Parliament Speaker Afrim Gashi and Vlen MP Bekim Qoku. It is endorsed by MPs from all parliamentary parties, including Blerim Bexheti, Borislav Krmov, Vesna Bendevska, Nikola Miceski and Oliver Spasovski. 

MIA file photo