I strongly condemn the attempt to turn the bar exam into a field for political pressure and ethnic confrontation. The bar exam is not a matter of politics, but a matter of expertise, professionalism and respect for the legal order of the state. Attempts to present the legal obligation to know the Macedonian language as discrimination are a dangerous manipulation of the public and a direct blow to the constitutional order, Macedonian Minister of Justice Igor Filkov said in a reaction to the protests demanding a bar exam in Albanian language.
“The Macedonian language is the official language of the entire territory of the Republic of Macedonia and the foundation of the institutional and legal system. It is unacceptable for sensitive topics that directly affect the legal system to be used to score political points or create interethnic tensions.
The bar exam is conducted in line with applicable laws and professional standards, and not according to daily political agendas or pressures from the street. The right to protest is a democratic right, but no one has the right to demand the demolition of criteria and standards in the judiciary through violent protests.
The Ministry of Justice remains open to reasoned institutional dialogue, but will not allow the devaluation of the judicial system, nor the undermining of the role of the Macedonian language as a pillar of statehood and institutional order.
The Macedonian language is not an obstacle — it is a duty, a constitutional value and a guarantee for the functioning of the country,” Minister Filkov said in a press release Wednesday.
