The Constitutional Court launched a procedure concerning two controversial laws on replacing imprisonment with money and granting MPs privileged retirement rights. Whether they are consistent with the Constitution or will be abolished will be determined in four weeks at the most.

Experts criticized the adopted amendments to the Criminal Code, according to which imprisonment of up to one year can be superseded with a fine.

According to Dame Iliev, president of the Supreme Court, granting the possibility of replacing the imprisonment sentence with a fine breaches the Constitution.

The Parliament passed in September 2005 the controversial law on MPs at short notice and without prior approval from the Government and the parliamentary committees. The law provides for MPs to retire with only 25 years of services and guarantees to them an excellent social status after retirement.

Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski decided not to sign the decree for enforcement of the and explained that the MPs provided themselves with retirement conditions different and more favorable than those applying to all the other citizens.

The Federation of Trade Unions (SSM) strongly opposed the adoption of the law.