Commission on Names of Associations in North Macedonia is expected to rule on the case of the Bulgarian club in Bitola

The deadline for the governmental Commission for the Use of Names in North Macedonia to rule on the case with the name of the Bulgarian Cultural Club "Ivan Mihaylov" in Bitola has expired.

The commission is expected to make a recommendation to the Ministry of Justice on whether the Bulgarian club in Bitola should be deleted from the Central Register of Associations in the country. If such a recommendation is made, the final decision will be taken by the Ministry of Justice.

The reason for considering the club's name is changes to the country's Law on Associations, which prohibits the use of names associated with fascism, Nazism and genocide, and the changes were adopted retroactively. Thus they affected the two Bulgarian clubs: in Ohrid with the name "Tsar Boris the Third" and in Bitola with the name "Ivan Mihailov".

Both clubs had until 16 February to re-register and change their names.

The Tsar Boris III Association in Ohrid has sent a letter to the Central Registry asking how the club's name violates the law and what steps it should take. The chairman of the club in Bitola, Ljubcho Georgievski, announced that he would seek legal ways to protect the name and activities of the “Ivan Mihailov” Club.

The opening of the two clubs caused a strong reaction among circles in the society in the Republic of North Macedonia, as two reports were submitted against them to the Commission for Discrimination - by the far-left pro-Russian party "Levica" and by a lawyer from Ohrid. The reason for the alert is the names of the clubs, as well as their statutes of activity.

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has already stated that the amendments to the Law on Associations and Foundations and the amendments to the Law on Political Parties aim at discrimination and restriction of the right of association of Bulgarians in North Macedonia, for which the reason is a one-sided interpretation of historical facts.