Macedonian Parliament

FM discusses regional cooperation, integrations

SKOPJE -- Serbian Foreign Minister and First Deputy Prime Miniter Ivica Dačić was in Skopje on Monday where he discussed "challenges of EU integration of both countries."

Another Macedonian citizen reportedly dies in Middle East

SKOPJE -- A 23-year-old Macedonian citizen identified as Dzelal S. has died in the war in Syria, according to reports.

His photograph has been posted on social networks along with a caption reading that he died "a shaheed."

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.

The 33 MPs from the opposition Social Democratic Party, SDSM, the Liberal Democrats, LDP, and the New Social Democrats, NSDP, have submitted formal resignations to the speaker of parliament.

They dispute the legitimacy of the April general and presidential elections and attribute the victory of Nikola Gruevski's VMRO DPMNE party to fraud.

A gym and relaxation area for MPs complete with baths will soon be put to good use, the speaker of the Macedonian parliament, Trajko Veljanoski, said on Thursday, leading a tour of parliament's new leisure facilities.

The revamp of the parliament building was launched in 2010 at a planned cost of 11 million euro.

The central committee of National Democratic Rebirth, NDR, an ethnic Albanian party headed by former Gostivar mayor Rufi Osmani, said it would not participate in the next parliament, calling last week’s elections illegitimate.