The party positions have shifted and there is an opportunity to catch the deadline for constitutional amendments to be passed by the end of November for Macedonia to continue its European integration path, is the assessment of political analysts after the leadership meeting between the presidents of SDSM and VMRO-DPMNE Dimitar Kovacevski and Hristijan Mickoski. After the two leaders offered concrete proposals, it is expected that there will be further talks on how to reach a compromise, but also that the final package for the agreement will be drawn up by the international community. Immediately after the meeting, Kovacevski assessed that there was a change in the attitude of VMRO-DPMNE, that is, that the opposition party is not against constitutional amendments. Contrary to Kovachevski's conclusion, VMRO-DPMNE is waiting for a response from the Prime Minister as to whether their proposals are acceptable, including delayed application of the constitutional amendments and guarantees for the Macedonian identity and language.

Rangjelovic: I don't know what the existing opposition would demand in the next elections

Political scientist Ivo Rangjelovic appreciates that after the leadership meeting, the biggest victim is the Macedonian society.

"The public has long been subject to manipulation regarding constitutional amendments, without being told that they are a done deal, be it in this term of one government or the next. The demands of the opposition are pro forma of the package that will be drawn up by the international community to resolve this dispute. Namely, that package will dilute Mickoski's requests for delayed validity, in the same way as the President and Prime Minister of the country wrote to them after the "revision" of the "French proposal", Rangelovic believes.

According to him, the proposal of VMRO-DPMNE for a broad government with DUI in opposition is political nothing, because the essence is the change of the Constitution.

"If the price for changing the Constitution, according to VMRO-DPMNE, is for DUI to be the opposition until the elections, I don't know what the existing opposition would demand in the next elections. Early elections are possible, a "VMRO-DPMNE - DUI" Government is also possible after the elections, Bulgarians are possible in the Constitution, but it is also possible that there will be no place for Macedonians in it," says the political scientist.

The professor of the Faculty of Law, Jove Kekenovski, also believes that after the leadership meeting, a shift in positions is visible, that there are still differences, but also a rapprochement.

"I think that there will be a rapprochement and that VMRO-DPMNE will not persist in the initial position that there will be no constitutional amendments." In the conversations that will follow, it will be necessary to find a compromise between them. It is good that the talks have started and I hope that by November they will be aligned. The opposition party gave way for the Bulgarians to enter the Constitution. The fight will be about the guarantees and in the part of the voting of the constitutional amendments and their validity, i.e. whether immediately or before Macedonia accedes to the EU", says Kekenovski.

Kovachevski convened emergency sessions of the Executive and the Central Board of SDSM

For the new position of VMRO-DPMNE, Kovacevski is calling emergency sessions of the Executive and the Central Board of SDSM tonight.

"The meetings of the highest bodies of the party come immediately after the leadership meeting, and the occasion is the change of attitude of VMRO-DPMNE and Mickoski, who accepted the constitutional amendments and their participation in the Government for the sake of a European future. In these new circumstances, the party's bodies are meeting, and it is expected that the topic will be the manner and form in which the talks with VMRO-DPMNE will continue", say the SDSM.

The Vice Prime Minister for European Affairs, Bojan Maricic, says that Prime Minister Kovacevski had a clear position and an offer to the opposition - to immediately vote on the need to open the Constitution, then to form a Government in which the opposition will also participate, and then to complete the constitutional process. changes and to complete the screening phase.

"Today, the opposition somehow retreats from the position that it is in favor of the constitutional amendments, unlike yesterday. We are ready to immediately form working groups and teams to implement this idea," says Maricic.

He added that they are ready to initiate a law on the negotiations with the EU, so that everyone can be sure that identity will not be affected. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, VMRO-DPMNE should not refuse the offered hand of cooperation.

"We would still communicate today if the meetings can be continued, not necessarily at the highest level, but meetings at any level." The offered hand is generous from all the parties, because VMRO-DPMNE has no reason not to vote for the constitutional amendments that we need so much", says Maricic.

And the DUI confirms that the party bodies have been sitting all day about the new situation.

The smaller government partners LDP and NSDP will vote for VMRO-DPMNE to enter the Government if the opposition supports the constitutional amendments, that is, after the need for amendments to the Constitution is voted on.

The President of the State Stevo Pendarovski, on the other hand, will not comment on the possible solutions for carrying out the constitutional amendments that were discussed at the leadership meeting, because no agreement has been reached regarding any of the proposed proposals.

Mickoski: I welcome Bujar Osmani's move

And while Kovacevski and SDSM are already designing a strategy for further meetings and talks with VMRO-DPMNE, Mickoski said that he is waiting for an answer from SDSM for his proposals - a broad transitional government without DUI and the constitutional amendments to be valid after Macedonia becomes a member of the EU. Mickoski reiterated that from the leadership meeting it can be concluded that the Government does not have the necessary majority for the constitutional amendments which it accepted without consulting VMRO-DPMNE.

"They created a problem and it is obvious that a year later, 44 signatures of the deputies of VMRO-DPMNE and the coalition guarantee that they will not accept a change of the Constitution under Bulgarian circumstances. Despite the fact that they continuously sent false news that the negotiations have started, yesterday it became clear that Macedonia is not negotiating and that it is additionally necessary to make new humiliations. We are ready to talk when it comes to the future of Macedonia," Mickoski said.

He repeated that Kovacevski offered to cede five ministries, and in return VMRO to support the constitutional amendments, to complete the constitutional amendments, to start the negotiations and to go to the elections, and that he replied that they accept to enter the Government under certain conditions .

"First, let's finally free Macedonia from DUI, and I welcome Bujar Osmani's move that he accepted not to be part of the transitional government. We said about the constitutional amendments - OK, we will accept a vote, but the effect should be delayed, that is, the amendments should be part of the Constitution after Macedonia becomes a member of the EU. If the EU really loves us that much, then the process will go on the fast lane. It is not a violation of the negotiation framework, because nowhere does it directly state that constitutional amendments are an obstacle to the start of negotiations. We stand behind the position to protect the Macedonian identity and expect an answer for a government without a DUI and a delayed validity of the constitutional amendments. Until then, let's form a transitional government without DUI with all political parties with the consolidated Albanian opposition", said Mickoski and added that he proposed that the future prime minister should not be prime minister because of the agreement between SDSM and DUI, but the prime minister elected by the majority of deputies in the Parliament.