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.

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Deputy Speaker of Parliament Antonijo Miloshoski assigned the Committee on Political System and Inter-Community Relations as the main working body, while the Legislative and Legal Committee will also convene to review the draft law.

The initiative was submitted to Parliament by MPs Antonijo Miloshoski, Zeqirija Tairi, Daniel Stojçevski, Blerim Bexheti and Ivanka Vasilevska. Among the solutions envisaged in the amendments are electronic voting for the diaspora, as well as changes in the segment of state financing for parties.

Explaining why the Electoral Code should be adopted under a fast-track procedure, the proposer stressed that its content had been discussed for four months within the Ministry of Justice. Representatives of political parties took part in these talks, with the exception of SDSM, which was initially involved and later withdrew.

Miloshoski stated that during these discussions, agreement was reached on 28 ODIHR recommendations, which were accepted by consensus. According to him, in the working group at the Ministry of Justice there was no outvoting on any issue, and decision-making was always carried out by mutual agreement. He added that these topics could also be discussed in parliamentary sessions and committees.

Regarding the electoral model, Miloshoski said that the majority of political parties had expressed support for a single electoral district, while two parties supported the model with eight and three districts. Since no consensus was reached on this, the current solution of six electoral districts remains in force.

On diaspora voting, Miloshoski clarified that agreement had been reached for it to be made possible according to the practice of France and Estonia, through secure and protected electronic voting.

He also stressed that major assistance in this process came from representatives of the State Election Commission, the State Audit Office, the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services, and the Anti-Corruption Commission. According to him, these institutions presented their proposals, most of which were accepted, on how to amend the Electoral Code in the service of developing democratic, fair, transparent and efficient elections.

Regarding the model for the use of funds for election advertising, Miloshoski said that unanimous consensus had been reached on this issue.

He assessed that in this process there was not a single case in which one party outvoted another, or in which certain representatives of political parties ignored the proposals of their colleagues. According to Miloshoski, the consensus reached by most of the parties that participated in the Working Group at the Ministry of Justice should be considered an important achievement and progress in the norms of the Electoral Code.

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At its 109th session held today, the Parliament of North Macedonia voted through the new Law on Games of Chance and Entertainment Games, decided to extend the state of emergency in part of the country’s territory, and appointed Hristina Sofronijoska to the post of Deputy Secretary General of the Legislative Chamber.

The draft law on games of chance received the support of 60 MPs, while 20 voted against it.

According to Deputy Finance Minister Nikolçe Jankulovski, the new provisions stipulate that premises where games of chance are organized must be located at least 500 meters away from primary and secondary schools, with the distance to be calculated along the safest pedestrian route.

He also stressed that the legal changes impose strict restrictions on the advertising of casinos and betting shops. Illuminated advertisements will be banned, while only one sign bearing the organizer’s name will be allowed, with maximum dimensions of 100 by 30 centimeters and no promotional content.

The law also provides for the mandatory GPS connection of devices and casinos to the Public Revenue Office, with the aim of strengthening oversight, digitalizing the sector, and making it easier to identify operators working without a license. These measures are also in line with Moneyval recommendations on preventing money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

Jankulovski said that if shortcomings are identified during implementation, the Finance Ministry will come forward with further proposals for additional amendments.

At the same session, MPs also established the need to adopt under a shortened procedure amendments to the Law on the Testing and Marking of Firearms and Ammunition, as well as to the Law on Public Enterprises and State-Owned Commercial Companies, within the framework of laws related to the Reform Agenda.

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