Macedonia’s prime minister Zoran Zaev believes he will be able to get enough votes to support the adoption of the constitutional amendment to change the country’s name to the Republic of North Macedonia. “I am convinced that through an inclusive process and in a pleasant atmosphere in parliament itself, we can send a positive message to our citizens but also to our friends, the EU and NATO, that we are a mature society,” Zaev said, reports Balkan Insight. He confirmed the negotiations with the opposition are ongoing but he won’t know if he’ll get the majority of 80 MPs out of 120 to support the change until the actual vote. Though Macedonia’s Social Democrat-led government adopted on Monday a motion on making constitutional changes that would include the country’s new name, these changes could take at least three months to adopt. The first indication whether Zaev managed to secure a two-thirds majority is likely to happen in two to three weeks, the time the MPs are given to discuss the government motion to amend the constitution. They will do so first at the constitutional commission, followed by the discussions at a plenary session, which will then be followed by a vote. If the motion gets the majority support, then the government can start drafting the constitutional amendments which will then be voted on again. If the government fails to obtain two-thirds of votes, then snap elections are the most likely outcome.
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