The Republic of Macedonia’s leader threatened to call snap elections next month if he fails to win support to change the nation’s name after voters backed him in a referendum clouded by low turnout.
The conflicted outcome of Sunday’s plebiscite sets the stage for a bruising battle ahead for Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who is pushing to settle a 27-year-old row with Greece and open a path toward Western integration.
It also underscores the intensity of a struggle for sway in the continent’s most volatile region between the EU and NATO on one side and on the other Russia, which opposes the further expansion of the military alliance.
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More than 90 percent backed an agreement with Greece to change their Balkan state’s name to the Republic of North Macedonia, the Electoral Commission said yesterday, with almost all the ballots counted.
However, only 37 percent of citizens turned out to vote, casting a cloud over the referendum, which was advisory in nature.
“The ‘yes’ vote is bigger than any win of any political party in Macedonia’s newest history,” Zaev told supporters in Skopje, the capital. “Now is the time for lawmakers to follow the vote of the people to quicken processes for EU and NATO integration.”
His ruling coalition lacks the two-thirds majority needed to change the name in a constitutional amendment. That means he would have to win some backing from the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, which rejects the change after overseeing an escalation in the rift with Greece before it lost power last year.
The party rejected the referendum as a failure, with Chairman Hristijan Mickoski saying it had ruined the government’s legitimacy.
“I expect VMRO-DPMNE’s lawmakers to respect the democratic will of the majority of citizens who voted,” Zaev said. “Otherwise there’s nothing else left — we’ll have to use the other democratic instrument, which means immediate snap parliamentary elections.”
Athens agreed to the name switch after blocking its neighbor’s accession into the Western clubs, saying it misappropriated the appellation from the ancient kingdom of Macedonia, after which its own northern province is named.
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for “sobriety from all sides” after what it called a “contradictory” referendum result.
Pending the successful conclusion of the deal, the EU has given a conditional date for the start of accession talks in June.
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