Macedonians were yesterday deciding on their country’s future, voting whether to accept a landmark deal ending a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece by changing their country’s name to North Macedonia and paving the way to NATO membership.
The June deal would end a dispute dating from the early 1990s when Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia. Greece has argued that use of the name implied territorial ambitions on its own province of the same name and blocked the country’s efforts to join NATO.
However, the agreement has faced vocal opposition on both sides of the border.
Opponents include Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov, who has called the deal a “flagrant violation of sovereignty.”
Voters were confronted with the question: “Are you in favor of membership in NATO and European Union by accepting the deal between [the] Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Greece?”
The referendum was called as a consultative, non-binding move. The distinction means the government could take the outcome as a fair reflection of public opinion and act accordingly, regardless of the turnout.
Supporters of the deal, led by Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, have focused on the vote as being the lynchpin of the country’s future prosperity, the key to its ability to join NATO and, eventually, the EU.
It would be a major step for a country that less than two decades ago almost descended into civil war when parts of its ethnic Albanian minority took up arms against the government, seeking greater rights.
If the “yes” vote wins, the next step is for the government to amend parts of the constitution to ensure that it does not contain anything that could be considered irredentist against Greece. Only after those changes are approved by parliament does the deal face ratification in Greece.
The referendum has stirred strong interest in the West.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US Secretary of Defense James Mattis have been among the prominent foreign officials heading to Skopje over the past months to urge its people to vote “yes.”
There has been growing concern over the reach of Russia, which is not keen on NATO expanding in a part of Europe that was once within its sphere of influence.
Even if Macedonians vote in favor of the deal, the agreement still faces several hurdles before it can be fully ratified. The constitutional amendments that are required need a two-thirds majority of parliament’s 120 members to go through. So far Zaev has pledges of support from 73 — seven short of the required number.
A low turnout on Sunday could complicate his task in persuading more lawmakers that the name change agreement with Greece reflects the will of the people.
Once the hurdle of constitutional amendments is overcome, Greece must then ratify the deal.
However, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras faces problems of his own: His governing coalition partner, right-wing Independent Greeks party leader Panos Kammenos, has vowed to vote against the deal in parliament, leaving Tsipras reliant on opposition parties and independent lawmakers to push the deal through.
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