Vlatko Gjorcev

After formally accepting the resignation of long-standing opposition leader Nikola Gruevski on Sunday night, Macedonia's main opposition right-wing VMRO-DPMNE party is set to elect his successor from several possible contestants. The extraordinary congress is scheduled for December 22-23.

Macedonia's Social Policy Ministry has denounced as lies claims by the opposition right-wing VMRO DPNNE party that the country is considering building permanent housing and issuing citizenship to migrants from the war-torn Middle-Eastern countries who are traversing its territory.

Despite the absence of opposition legislators, a plenary session of the Macedonian parliament is expected to approve a package of seven government-proposed changes to the constitution on Wednesday or Thursday.  

One of the proposed changes, which has drawn criticism from human rights activists, will define marriage more narrowly as a union strictly between one man and one woman.

Macedonia's ruling parties have gained the approval they need to enact changes to the constitution after 82 of the 123 MPs approved the changes, which is more than the two-thirds majority needed.

Six legislators from the opposition Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, voted against while one legislator abstained.

The motion to define marriage strictly as a union of one man and one woman, submitted at the weekend, was one of the first orders of business of the conservative Government of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski  after it was re-elected in April.