Students took to the streets in Skopje today, voicing their dissatisfaction with current regulations that prevent them from taking the judicial exam in the Albanian language. The protest, organized by law students, highlights a broader debate over language rights and institutional obligations in Macedonia.
The demonstration began at the iconic Stone Bridge and continued toward the Ministry of Justice, where participants called for equal access to professional certification exams in the language in which many of them completed their education. Organizers emphasized that the issue extends beyond student concerns, framing it as a matter of legal equality and respect for linguistic rights.
The protest follows growing frustration among Albanian-speaking students, many of whom argue that existing legislation, particularly the Law on the Use of Languages, should already guarantee the right to take such exams in Albanian. Despite this, the Ministry of Justice maintains that the judicial exam is a professional qualification process rather than an administrative procedure and is therefore not subject to the same requirements.
Authorities had earlier invited protest organizers for informational discussions, while traffic disruptions were expected along the protest route.
The issue has also sparked political reactions. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski stated that they would seek a solution, urging students not to allow their cause to be politicized. Meanwhile, representatives from the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) expressed support for the students and argued that language rights must be consistently upheld beyond election periods. On the other hand, Izet Mexhiti called for comprehensive legal solutions, warning against partial measures and political exploitation of the issue.
The debate has intensified recently after hundreds of students from several law faculties submitted formal requests to sit the exam in Albanian. While oversight bodies, including the Inspectorate for the Use of Languages, have indicated that institutions are obliged to comply with language laws, the Ministry has challenged these interpretations through formal appeals.
Legal experts and civil society organizations have largely framed the matter as a question of aligning existing laws with practice, noting that the judicial exam framework does not explicitly restrict the language of examination.
As discussions continue, the protest underscores deeper questions about legal consistency, minority rights, and the implementation of multilingual policies in the country’s institutions.
