The leader of North Macedonia’s opposition Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), Ali Ahmeti, has issued a letter to key Albanian and international leaders, voicing concerns over the repeal of the Law on the Use of Languages, the prohibition of ethnic identification in state institutions, and the formation of a government lacking equitable ethnic representation.

Ahmeti warns these moves “jeopardize the achievements of the Ohrid Agreement and the principles of equality and stability in a multi-ethnic society.” He urges international leaders to defend the Ohrid Agreement’s achievements and the rights of Albanians in North Macedonia.

Ahmeti’s letters were sent to Albania’s President Bajram Begaj and Prime Minister Edi Rama, Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Why is this significant: The decisions mentioned in the letter could fuel inter-ethnic tensions in North Macedonia, where relations between the ethnic Macedonian majority and the ethnic Albanian community, which comprises about 30% of the population, remain shaky.

Context: North Macedonia’s Constitutional Court is set to decide in December on the future of the Law on the Use of Languages, which was adopted seven years ago. 

The Law on the Use of Languages requires state institutions in North Macedonia to officially accommodate languages spoken by at least 20% of the population. This includes Albanian, which is recognized in the first article of the law as the language of a significant portion of the population. The law also extends to languages of communities with less than 20% representation.

Under this law, official items like coins, postage stamps, police and firefighter uniforms must include inscriptions in any language spoken by at least 20% of the population, a measure aimed at supporting the linguistic identity of Albanians and other ethnic groups in the country.

On October 9, the Constitutional Court in North Macedonia also decided to abolish the ‘Balancer’, a software mechanism that regulated the “fair and adequate” representation of ethnic communities in public administration.

The legal provisions on ethnic quotas in the public sector were introduced as part of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, which ended an armed conflict with ethnic Albanian militants in 2001. They aim to ensure equitable representation of ethnic communities. 

The ruling VMRO-DPMNE party has claimed that the mechanism has been misused, leading to an overstaffed public sector filled with party clients. The party is in favour of new legal provisions to ensure equitable representation while preventing abuse. However, no alternative provisions have been proposed yet. The grouping of Albanian political parties in the Government, VLEN, has promised that the “Balancer” mechanism will be replaced by a new law, which will also determine employment according to ethnicity.

Ali Ahmeti warns that these moves pose a significant threat to peace and stability in both the country and the wider region. “These three major blows to the foundations of the Ohrid Agreement endanger peace, stability, inter-ethnic harmony, and multi-ethnic democracy in North Macedonia. These issues go beyond internal politics, with serious regional implications for stability. Such measures risk undoing key elements of peace and equality, taking us back to pre-2001 conditions that led to crisis and conflict. I urge a united and decisive response to protect the achievements of the Ohrid Agreement and the rights guaranteed to Albanians,” Ahmeti writes.