Kostadinovski: The Constitutional Court must withstand pressure and keep politics within the law

Constitutional Court President Darko Kostadinovski said today in Ohrid that the institution he leads must resist political pressure and prevent politics from straying beyond the bounds of the law.

He said the Constitutional Court is the only institution tasked with ensuring that politicians and state bodies respect the constitutional and legal framework.

Asked by journalists about the challenges facing constitutional judges, Kostadinovski explained that he and some of his colleagues appear in the media not to gain popularity or promote their decisions, but to counter manipulation and falsehoods about the Court’s work and procedures.

He recalled that protests have been held and tents erected outside the Constitutional Court, while a procedure for his interpellation has been initiated in Parliament. Kostadinovski said he regarded the latter as the greatest compliment to his work.

To judge whether the Constitutional Court and its president are doing their jobs properly, he cited two indicators: citizens who approach him in the street and say they are pleased with his work, and the irritation of politicians and heads of state bodies. According to Kostadinovski, that irritation shows the Court is doing its job well.

He stressed that the essence of the Court’s work is to keep politics within legal bounds. Kostadinovski also referred to a statement he made in a video, in which he said no one has more rights than the constitution grants them. He reiterated that the Constitutional Court alone can keep politicians and state bodies within the framework of the law.