The Macedonian Lion Cub

The government proposed three ways to obtain citizenship:

1) by origin: everyone whose parents or one parent is a citizen of Macedonia has the right of citizenship;

2) by birth: every child born on the territory of Macedonia whose parents are without citizenship has the right of citizenship;

3) by naturalization: a foreigner who has submitted an application for citizenship, if he fulfills conditions such as having a place to live and employment, not having any criminal charges against him and knowing the Macedonian language.

The third chapter of the draft law is controversial. The government proposed that at least five years of continuous residence in the republic be prescribed as a pre-condition for citizenship by naturalization. Deputies of the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE (Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization - Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity), are demanding, however, that the minimum duration of continuous residence be raised to 15 years. The intention is clear - to prevent the large number of ethnic Albanians who have moved from Kosovo to Macedonia from gaining Macedonian citizenship.

Macedonian passports were printed a long time ago but cannot be put into circulation because the Macedonian parliament has not decided yet on the state symbols. Whether the future Macedonian passport will have an embossed seal of the "Macedonian lion cub," which the VMRO-DPMNE advocates, is uncertain as, besides ethnic Albanians, the other parliamentary groups are opposed to the idea. A dispute has also arisen over the future Macedonian flag (a stylized sun with rays) which to the VMRO-DPMNE does not look enough like the star of Alexander of Macedonia. Ethnic Albanian deputies, who consider that the state flag cannot have party insignias, are however most opposed to "the star of Alexander" They feel the same about the future anthem, with whose text they disagree because, as they say, it favors the Macedonian nationality and does not reflect constitutional civic orientations.

The only way to overcome the stalemate would be if agreement is reached in parliament with the ethnic Albanians, which seems unlikely. It should not be surprising if Macedonian Albanians simply decide to go out into the world with an Albanian passport, which is generously being offered to them by the president of the neighboring country, Sali Berisha.