Parliament adopts amendment deleting Article 13 from public procurement changes

The Assembly this afternoon, during its 129th session, adopted an amendment deleting Article 13 from the draft law amending the Public Procurement Law.

The amendment was submitted by MPs Bojan Stojanoski, Dafina Stojanoska and Brane Petrushevski. According to Stojanoski, the change brings the bill into line with the objections raised by President Gordana Siljanovska‑Davkova.

Parliamentary debate and the president's objections

Stojanoski said the deletion means the Assembly “completely accept[s] the president’s objections” and that the bill can now be passed without impediment to make the system “more practical, more lawful, more transparent and more outcome‑oriented for the entire public administration.”

He added that the legal changes form part of the Reform Agenda and aim to improve the system through the introduction of digital tools and artificial intelligence, which, he argued, will speed up procurement, reduce risks of corruption and abuses, and support implementation of infrastructure and other projects. The amendments also expand the remit of the Bureau for Public Procurement in the area of digital tools and AI as instruments to strengthen the procurement process and cut corruption risks.

MP Fatmir Bitici (SDSM) intervened from the floor and noted that during the committee debate the opposition had already filed the same and several other amendments. He criticized the procedure, saying that the law is being pushed through without a public debate and that it would have been more dignified to withdraw the bill and prepare new changes with a public hearing instead of arguing that the president’s objection declared parts of it unconstitutional.

The president sent a letter to the Assembly on November 4, 2026, informing that, after careful analysis and consultations with experts, and pursuant to Article 75, paragraph 3 of the Constitution, she decided not to sign the promulgation of the amendments adopted at the Assembly session of October 26, 2026.

In total 2,158 amendments were submitted to the bill. As announced earlier by SDSM leader Venko Filipche, the party intends to try to block the adoption of the amendments by tabling nearly 2,000 of them.

Photo: press material from the event