FLASH
Shkruar nga Prof.dr. Skënder Asani
It is time for the international community to seriously consider the idea of a functioning protectorate in the field of justice – not as an act of intervention, but as a safeguard for the very investment that has been made over the years. A clear and binding system of accountability for the funds, programs and support provided would be in line with European values of transparency and fairness.
At first glance, it seems that North Macedonia is experiencing a phase of consolidation of democratic institutions and internal political harmonization. However, behind this optimistic facade, a more complex reality continues to emerge, which requires careful attention and a nuanced reading of recent developments. This is a period where political prudence and diplomatic maturity are more necessary than ever, to maintain the fragile balance between the majority and the other constituent communities of the state.
In recent years, North Macedonia has shown efforts to maintain interethnic stability, but these efforts have not always translated into real equality on the ground. The rhetoric of coexistence and integration is present in political discourse, but often remains limited to statements, while in practice, decision-making structures and institutional representation continue to reflect a disproportion that does not match the demographic reality and historical contribution of all communities.
In addition to the obvious political obstacles, there are deep-seated structures that undermine any attempt at a new democratic order. One of these is the judicial system, which for decades has been the focus of reforms sponsored by international partners – including the United States and the European Union. Although considerable funds have been invested in making the domestic justice system compatible with Western standards, in reality, many of these efforts have been diverted by domestic political elites who have sought to keep the judicial system under control.
In particular, it is worth highlighting the practice of political rotation that, instead of guaranteeing institutional pluralism, has become an instrument to reinstall influence over justice. Each new government is not limited to formal reshuffles, but goes beyond, deeply directing the judicial system through covert mechanisms of influence and selective interventions. The most illustrative example is the case of the Special Prosecution Office, which began with the ambition to fight high-level corruption, but ended up being destroyed from within, through fabricated affairs and the systematic corruption of key figures. Behind this failure stood a permanent oligarchic structure, neatly camouflaged with the guise of political parties and the rhetoric of reforms.
Nor can the increasingly problematic role of the Constitutional Court be overlooked, which has on repeated occasions been politically instrumentalized to legitimize decisions that disrupt internal ethnic, religious, and interstate balances. Instead of serving as a guardian of constitutionality and as a guarantor of equality among citizens, this court has often acted as a catalyst for new tensions, interpreting the law according to the will of the majority and not in the function of the sensitive coexistence that the country seeks. This approach has fostered deep suspicions in public opinion and undermined trust in justice as an independent link in the state.
In this context, it is time for the international community to seriously consider the idea of a functional protectorate in the field of justice – not as an act of intervention, but as a safeguard for the very investment that has been made over the years. A clear and binding system of accountability for the funds, programs and support provided would be in line with European values of transparency and fairness.
Another major obstacle to a new approach to coexistence and to a sincere integration into Euro-Atlantic structures is the oligarchy formed over the last four decades. This consolidated political and economic class has built a closed system, which prevents any attempt at genuine state reforms. Instead of transformation, we have only had superficial adaptation, where private interests are hidden behind public rhetoric. This oligarchy, through its influence on the economy, media, religion and security, fanatically preserves the unitary structure of the state, experiencing every step towards real equality as a threat to its privileges.
Subtly but deliberately, this structure sabotages ethnic, religious and socio-economic balances, presenting any demand for greater inclusion as a tendency towards destabilization. Thus, the obstacles to European integration do not only originate from outside, but are internal, systematic and well-organized.
It is important that at this stage in the country, all political parties engage in a deep reflection on the model of co-government that has functioned so far. Has the time come for this model to evolve from a tolerated coexistence towards a sincere and functional partnership? Is it time for the very structure of the state to be reconceptualized on the basis of mutual trust and not on the preservation at all costs of an unjust status quo?
Because history does not forgive stagnation, and future generations will judge us on the basis of what we inherited and what we dared to change. The time for accountability has come. It is time to build a new political order – not on the foundations of fear and control, but on trust, justice and equality. On this journey, silence is no longer neutrality: it is complicity in failure. And whoever remains silent today cannot say tomorrow that they did not know./ Pamphlet
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