Code of Ethical Conduct for MPs Presented in North Macedonia’s Parliament

The Code of Ethical Conduct for Members of Parliament was formally presented in Parliament today, a document that had previously been adopted by MPs. Speakers at the event included Speaker of Parliament Afrim Gashi, Head of the OSCE Mission in Skopje Ambassador Kilian Wahl, NDI Resident Senior Director in North Macedonia and head of the Swiss Parliamentary Support Programme (PSP) team Robert Scott Heaslet, ODIHR Democratic Governance and Gender Equality Unit representative Ajla Van Heel Merdanović, as well as the chair of the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Mandate and Immunity, Mile Lefkov.

In his remarks, Afrim Gashi pointed out that the Code of Ethics is, above all, a moral agreement that MPs enter into among themselves and with the citizens they represent.

“Since I believe we do not want this document to end up in Parliament’s archives after the vote, we have gathered here to treat it as a shared commitment: that the public interest will always remain above personal interest; that political debate will be conducted on the basis of argument and not insult; that political differences will not turn into personal hostility; and that the dignity of Parliament will be protected every day, with responsibility and dedication,” Gashi stressed.

He thanked the MPs and parliamentary groups, the international partners and the parliamentary service, which, according to him, through its professional engagement and dedication, made an important contribution at every stage of the Code’s preparation.

Ambassador Wahl said in his speech that “the Code of Ethics not only provides MPs with a practical tool for dealing with real-life ethical issues, but also represents a concrete step toward more transparent, more accountable and more trustworthy parliamentary work in the country.

For his part, Robert Scott Heaslet said the Swiss Parliamentary Support Programme has stood by Parliament with uninterrupted support throughout the complex process of drafting and finalizing these integrity rules since 2019. “This is one of many areas in which Switzerland has stood alongside Parliament as a stable and reliable partner in democratic reforms,” Heaslet said.

Ajla Van Heel Merdanović highlighted the importance of parliamentary integrity, describing it as an instrument for strengthening citizens’ trust in the ethics of parliamentary decision-making.

“Our shared goal is to support the process of advancing parliamentary ethics. We are pleased that today we see the result of months of cross-party cooperation. The inclusion of a gender perspective in this Code is also to be welcomed,” Merdanović stressed.

Mile Lefkov said in his remarks that this Code of Ethics is an important document for restoring trust in Parliament.

He also stressed that this document shows that Parliament knows how to accept international expertise. According to him, the distinctive feature of this Code lies in the inclusion of concrete mechanisms for its implementation: the creation of a parity-based working group that will oversee the implementation of the Code of Ethics, the appointment of an adviser for confidential counseling of MPs, as well as the adoption of a guide, in the drafting of which international expertise will once again be used.