Balgarianovinite.com North Macedonia’s former diplomat Viktor Gaber has submitted a proposal to the parliament in Skopje calling for a referendum on constitutional amendments, as a way for citizens to directly express their view on continuing EU accession talks, according to media reports. Gaber is first co-chair of the joint interdisciplinary commission between North Macedonia and Greece.
The petition proposes that the referendum question concern changes to the Constitution that would add Croats, Bulgarians and Jews to the preamble alongside the communities already listed. Gaber argues that this issue should be decided by citizens, as European integration has been a strategic commitment since the country’s independence in 1991.
He further states that, as the highest source of political legitimacy, citizens should decide whether North Macedonia should continue on its European path by adopting these amendments, thereby transferring responsibility for the issue to a direct public mandate.
The proposal comes at a time when North Macedonia has not advanced in EU accession talks due to the constitutional requirement to include Bulgarians in the basic law, as set out in the negotiation framework. The framework was signed in 2022, but the required two-thirds parliamentary majority for constitutional change has not been secured.
The argument has been politically contested domestically, with opposition from VMRO-DPMNE, which won the 2024 elections and formed the current government. Meanwhile, Albania has been separated from North Macedonia in the EU accession process and continued its negotiations independently, intensifying internal debate in North Macedonia.
Gaber’s proposal also states that if a majority votes in favour, parliament would proceed with the constitutional changes; if they vote against, the country should abandon its current EU-oriented strategic direction and adopt a new one.
For the proposal to take institutional effect, it must first pass through parliamentary procedure. Ex-Diplomat Proposes Referendum on Constitutional Amendments in North Macedonia 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-05-21 08:40:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law