Hundreds of students protested in Skopje today, demanding the right to take the bar exam in the Albanian language. The protest started at the Stone Bridge and continued toward the Ministry of Justice.

385 law students from three universities (UT, UJIE and UNT) filed a request that the Ministry of Justice rejects, despite warnings from the Language Inspectorate that the rejection violates the Constitution and legal obligations.

The issue is generating significant political debate. Prime Minister Mickoski said he would seek a solution but suggested that current law does not allow the exam to be taken in Albanian. DUI responded that "guarantees for rights apparently only matter during campaigns."

VLEN leader Izet Mexhiti called for systemic changes: "Partial laws give partial solutions. The protest is therefore a call to awareness for all political and social actors."

The Ombudsman submitted concrete legislative proposals for alignment with the Law on the Use of Languages, which stipulates that "state institutions must enable the use of other official languages spoken by at least 20% of citizens."