North Macedonia - October 2024

On 9 October, the Constitutional Court abolished the “Ethnic Balancer,” a mechanism introduced in 2015 to enforce ethnic quotas in public sector jobs. The State Anti-Corruption Commission had challenged its constitutionality earlier in 2024, arguing it violates freedom of expression and may unfairly exclude applicants. Critics, including the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party, claim the mechanism has led to an over-staffed public sector with party loyalists and was misused due to the fluidity of ethnic identity. The mechanism greatly improved the inclusion of the Albanian minority, who make up about one-quarter of the population, but its removal has sparked concerns about potentially reversing progress in the already fragile inter-ethnic relations. It is important to watch how the removal of this mechanism will affect minority inclusion and whether it will be replaced with new legislation to address inclusion. 

Sources: Media Information Agency, TV21, Radio Free Europe (North Macedonia) (1), Radio Free Europe (North Macedonia) (2), New York Times