Skopje, 18 December 2025 (MIA) - President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova said Thursday that the current Law on Pardoning is dysfunctional and needs to be reformed. She encouraged amendments to the Criminal Code, pointing out that they are crucial in the fight against corruption and crime.

"The Law on Pardoning, in its current form after many repealed provisions, no longer resembles a logical legal text. The possibility of pardon exists across the globe – the word itself shows that sometimes a person needs to abstract from the sentence and value the process of staying in prison, to stimulate the exit from that world and the possibility of different behaviour. There should be a possibility of pardon that will cover a longer period of time, and the Pardoning Commission should be obliged to visit prisons and talk to people who have submitted applications. Also, it should be possible to visit prisons on certain dates," Siljanovska Davkova said during Thursday's visit to Idrizovo penitentiary. 

She added that it is necessary to create a system that gives hope to prisoners and stimulates their commitment to resocialization.

"We must give hope to these people that their determination, their commitment to becoming better people, should be valued and rewarded," she said.

As regards amendments to the Criminal Code and stricter sanctions for abuse of office, the President said she encourages the reforms.

"I encourage the reforms, because this is a very important amendment within the judicial reforms. I believe they should be adopted as soon as possible. I also draw attention to the pitfalls - or the real warning from the Constitutional Court, that if this does not happen by the end of the month, they may resort to other measures," she said.

The President added that she encourages not only amendments to the Criminal Code, but also all laws related to the judiciary.

"I encourage not only the amendments to the Criminal Code, but also all laws related to the judiciary, because this may be the first time that a package of laws has been before the Venice Commission and has passed the strict filter. In this area, it is not about harmonization, because there is no European law, but it is crucial for the fight against the greatest evil - corruption and crime," said President Siljanovska Davkova.

Photo: MIA