Skopje, 2 November 2022 (MIA) - Parliament on Wednesday passed amendments to the Law on Associations and Foundations, proposed by VMRO-DPMNE, and to the Law on Political Parties, proposed by SDSM, in a fast-tracked procedure. A total of 67 lawmakers in the 120-seat Parliament voted in favor of the changes to both laws with no one against or in abstention. Explaining the changes to the Law on Association and Foundations, VMRO-DPMNE MP Rashela Mizrahi said the country in the past eight months witnessed attempt for fabricating and revising historical truths in the country. "Humanity is still bearing the scars from genocide and ethnic cleansing, racism, antisemitism and xenophobia and the international community, including us, bear a major responsibility to prevent this evil. We have to strengthen the moral and political commitment of our government and the institutions to enable future generation to understand the reasons behind the pandemic of hatred and insanity in WWII, during which Macedonia had lost more than 25,000 people, including over 7,100 Jews," she said. According to her, the legislation adopted today will "protect the anti-fascist past and the historical truth of our country." The ruling majority fully supports the opposition's proposed changes to the law, said NSDP MP Sonja Mirkovska. Both laws share the same goal, said SDSM MP Snezana Kalevska Vancheva explaining the changes to the Law on Political Parties. "The goal of the bill is increasing transparency and distancing from fascism, Nazism, national-socialism and guaranteeing the legal security of the citizens, which is a characteristic of a democratic, civilized and legal state," stated Kalevska Vancheva. The amendments were proposed by the two parties after the opening of two Bulgarian clubs - the Vanco Mihajlov club in Bitola in April and the Tsar Boris III club in Ohrid earlier this month. On October 17, the MPs endorsed the adoption of the bill on amending the Law on Associations and Foundations, put forward by the opposition party VMRO-DPMNE. The amended Law on Associations and Foundations bans the establishment of organizations if their program and activities are aimed at "overthrowing the constitutional order of the Republic of Macedonia, inciting and calling for military aggression and stirring national, racial, religious hatred or any other intolerance, fascism, Nazism, national-socialism and the Third Reich, organizing activities related to terrorism, taking activities against the Constitution and those that harm the liberties and rights of other people." The use of names, last names, pseudonyms or initials of people who had been in any way associated with "racial, religious, national, ethnic or other intolerance, hatred, genocide, extermination, spreading of or support of fascism, Nazism, national-socialism and the Third Reich" is also banned. Organizations, associations and foundations registered in line with the Law on Associations within three months from its enforcement should to align their names, goals and programs according to the law's provisions, otherwise they will be removed from the Central Registry. Under the amendments to the Law on Political Parties, increased transparency of existing and future political parties is ensured. Also, it envisages that a party's statute must not contain provisions that cause racial, religious, national, ethnic and any other intolerance, hatred, genocide, extermination, spreading of or support of fascism, Nazism, national-socialism and the Third Reich. The political parties have three months to align their names in line with the law.