The citizens are collateral damage of the government’s u reasonable decisions because of which now they have to pay for new personal documents, despite that the old ones are still valid, Ombudsman Naser Ziberi told Alfa TV.

Ziberi added that the citizens whose personal documents are still valid shouldn’t pay for their replacement just because the new constitutional name has to be added – the Government should pay for that.

“Issuance and replacement of personal documents is an obligation imposed by the Government. Since the replacement of the documents is also the government’s decision, the citizens must not be exposed to additional expenses because the replacement is not their fault”, Ziberi said.

Since, according to the Prespa Agreement, the deadline for replacement of the documents is February 24, 2024, and the elections will be probably held in March, there is a danger that citizens who won’t replace their documents will be prevented from voting, despite that the documents are valid.

“All citizens with a valid personal document must be allowed to vote, regardless if the documents bear the old or the new name. If they are rejected, the country will face serious problems, and the legitimacy of the elections will be put in question because a basic human right will be violated”, Ziberi said.