Macedonia: Commitment to an Inclusive Democracy
Prepared by the Government of the Republic of Macedonia
As a democracy based on individual rights and responsibilities, all citizens of Macedonia enjoy the same freedoms and opportunities, whether they be ethnic Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish, Serb, Roma, or Vlach. The only republic to secede peacefully from the former Yugoslavia, the Republic of Macedonia has come to be recognized over the last ten years as a force for stability and ethnic tolerance in the region. Numerous political and civic avenues exist for citizens to express themselves and address their needs - the doors of democracy are open for everyone but there is no place for Kosovo's terrorists in the Republic of Macedonia.
Albanians in Government and Public Service:
25 out of 120 members of the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia are Albanian. 11 of these, from the Democratic Party for Albanians, are members of the governing coalition. 14 are from the opposition Party for Democratic Prosperity.
5 of 15 Cabinet Ministers in the current Government are ethnic Albanians. In addition, five deputy Ministers are ethnic Albanians, including the Deputy Minister of Defence and the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs.
Albanians were elected as mayors of 26 of Macedonia's 123 municipalities in the 2000 municipal elections.
10% of public administration employees are ethnic Albanian, compared with 3% in 1993. The Government and Parliament are committed to further increasing this percentage.
The Chief of Police in Tetovo is an ethnic Albanian.
The Draft Law amending the existing Local Government legislation will significantly expand the legal and financial authority of municipal governments to address the specific needs of local communities. Supported by the Council of Europe, the law is currently under consideration in Parliament.
Education for ethnic Albanians:
Macedonia's educational system offers a full curriculum in the Albanian language from primary to university education. 30% (77,496 pupils) of the students enrolled in primary education in the Republic of Macedonia are ethnic Albanians and are educated in Albanian language. Albanian-language primary and secondary education in Macedonia is funded by the state.
There are 15,302 students of Albanian nationality (17% percent) enrolled in secondary education, including vocational and general high school education.
The number of young Albanians educated in both state universities in Skopje and Bitola is increasing. Both universities employ an "affirmative action" admissions policy, ensuring that 23% of incoming university students are ethnic Albanian, which is proportional to the country's overall population.
The 1997 Law on Usage of the Languages of the Nationalities in the Pedagogical Faculty in Skopje provides for an increasing number of students to be educated in the languages of Macedonia's various nationalities. The Pedagogical Faculty in Skopje produces a sufficient number of primary school teachers to meet the needs of Albanian children. The Dean of the faculty is of Albanian nationality, and Albanian professors are well-represented in the faculty's administration. Furthermore, a Department of Albanian Language and Literature has been established within the framework of the Faculty of Philology.
With the support of the OSCE and the EU, Macedonia last autumn passed the Law on Higher Education, providing for the establishment of a South-Eastern Europe University in Tetovo, a private university with instruction in the Albanian, Macedonian, and English languages.
Facts:
23% of the population of Macedonia are ethnic Albanian according to the 1994 census (officially recognized by the Council of Europe and the OSCE).
Press freedom is guaranteed under the Macedonian constitution. There are 64 newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals in the Albanian language operating within the Republic of Macedonia, of which 3 are daily, 12 weekly, and 25 monthly newspapers. A significant number of radio and television stations broadcast in the Albanian language. Furthermore, the second channel of the state-owned Macedonian Television broadcasts at least 6 programs in the languages of the nationalities every day - more than 70% (at least 4 hours) of which is in Albanian language. A third channel of Macedonian Television will begin broadcasting exclusively in the languages of Macedonia's nationalities in the near future.
