SKOPJE, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The law on the Use of Languages along with the Law on the Ratification of the Prespa Agreement regarding Macedonia's new name were published in the Official Bulletin on Tuesday.

Macedonian Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi signed and sent the law on the use of languages for publication.

With the publication in the official bulletin, the Albanian language becomes the second official language in Macedonia.

The law on the use of languages was passed twice in the Parliament last year, but the Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov refused to sign the bill.

In a reaction to the publishing of the two laws, Ivanov said in a statement on Tuesday that "Macedonia's constitution has been breached, and the laws have been published in an illegal manner and it can be subject to criminal prosecution." The opposition led by VMRO-DPMNE also strongly objected the language law.

According to the Macedonian government, the law on the use languages takes care of the rights of the second biggest community in the country.

The Albanian language will now be used by state institutions in regions where ethnic Albanians make over 20 percent of the population.

The ethnic Albanians represent 25.2 percent of the country's 2.1-million population.

On Jan. 11, the Macedonian parliament passed an amendment to the constitution, paving the way to the change of the country's name to the Republic of North Macedonia. Enditem

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