DUI calls on citizens to join Saturday’s march in Tetovo to defend the Ohrid Agreement

DUI today issued an official call to take part in the second protest march, which will be held on Saturday in Tetovo, as a response to the Constitutional Court’s decision to revoke the ruling on the naming of streets and restore their previous names.

At a press conference, the party stressed that the protest would be peaceful and civic in nature, while its aim, according to DUI, is to defend the Ohrid Agreement, the constitutional order and legal certainty.

According to the party’s position, the Constitutional Court’s decision on the street names in Tetovo served as the direct trigger for civic mobilization. However, as emphasized in the reaction, the concerns are broader and relate to what DUI sees as a weakening of the mechanisms stemming from the Ohrid Agreement.

DUI recalled that the decision on naming the streets had been approved by the Tetovo Municipal Council in accordance with the law and with a double majority. According to the party, the Government had also failed to react within the deadline set by law, which, under the Law on Local Self-Government, means the act was approved. The party added that the same decision had been voted on once again to avoid procedural doubts and that the Government had taken no steps in that case either.

According to DUI, this act had been part of the legal order for around 20 years, while the Constitutional Court’s latest decision, in its view, creates a precedent that calls into question legal certainty and the way issues related to the Ohrid Agreement are treated.

The party also directed criticism at the Municipality of Tetovo, stressing that during the proceedings before the Constitutional Court it did not respond to the request for clarifications and documentation, which according to DUI means it failed to legally defend its own decision.

The statement also says that the Constitutional Court’s future decisions, including the expected ruling on the Law on the Use of Languages, must be based on the Constitution, the Ohrid Agreement and the principle of legal certainty.

DUI called on citizens to join Saturday’s march in a peaceful and dignified manner, describing the protest as an action in defense of the constitutional order, interethnic coexistence and the country’s Euro-Atlantic orientation.