Arben Taravari, leader of the Alliance for Albanians in North Macedonia, has accused the country’s institutions of failing to respect the law on the use of the Albanian language as an official language. His remarks came during a visit to the First Albanian School in Korçë, Albania.
.jpg "Taravari Accuses North Macedonia of Failing to Uphold Albanian Language Law")
Speaking in Korçë, Taravari stressed that there is no political destabilization in North Macedonia, but rather a persistent failure to implement existing laws.
“The Albanian language is not equal to the Macedonian language, as it was in the 1974 constitution when Macedonia was a Socialist Republic. Today, it is defined merely as the language of 20% of the population—a provision we believe should be removed,” Taravari said. “We should restore the status it had in the Yugoslav era, when both Albanian and Macedonian were official languages, representing the two ethnic groups that make up 90% of the country’s population.”
The opposition leader argued that the situation can only be resolved through a clear and immediate intervention from the Constitutional Court.
“There are institutions that are legally obliged to use Albanian but ignore or bypass it. There is already an initiative before the Constitutional Court, and I believe it will deliver an objective and rational decision. If it rules otherwise, it would be harmful to society as a whole. In institutions led by Albanians, the law is applied; in those led by Macedonians—whether ministers or deputy ministers—it is often disregarded, and that is unacceptable,” Taravari added.
North Macedonia’s current Law on the Use of Languages, passed in 2018 under the Social Democratic Union (SDSM) government, expanded the use of Albanian in areas such as court proceedings, banknotes, and police uniforms. However, the VMRO-DPMNE party—then in opposition and now in power—strongly opposed the law, boycotted the vote, and immediately referred it to the Constitutional Court for review.