Poor turnout dims drive for national name change
Macedonia — A referendum on changing Macedonia’s name as part of a deal that would pave the way for NATO membership won overwhelming support Sunday, but low voter turnout highlighted the hurdles that still remain for the Balkan country to join the alliance.
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev had hoped for a strong show of support in the referendum on whether to accept a June deal with Greece changing the country’s name to North Macedonia. That would help him with the next step of winning parliamentary support for the required constitutional amendments.
Results from more than 97 percent of polling stations showed 91.3 percent of voters approving the deal. But turnout stood at just 36.8 percent, a far cry from the massive support the government had hoped for.
Opponents to the name change had called for a boycott of the vote and celebrated in the street outside Parliament when turnout figures were announced.
Nevertheless, Zaev declared the vote a success.
“The people made a great choice and said ‘yes’ to our future. It is time for lawmakers to follow the voice of the people and to provide support,” he said. “There will be no better agreement with Greece, nor an alternative for NATO and the EU.”
Zaev said he would seek to secure the required two-thirds majority of the 120-seat parliament by next week for the constitutional changes. If he fails, he said the only alternative would be to call early elections.
The deal with Greece has faced vociferous opposition from a sizable portion of the population on both sides of the border, with detractors saying their respective governments conceded too much to the other side and damaged national interests and identity.
The referendum stirred strong interest in the West, with German ChanSKOPJE, cellor Angela Merkel and U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis among a long line of foreign officials who urged Macedonians to back the deal.
Russia, however, is not keen on NATO expanding in a part of Europe once under its sphere of influence. Mattis said there was “no doubt” Moscow had funded groups inside Macedonia to campaign against the name change.
In Athens, the Greek foreign ministry noted the “contradictory” result of the referendum — overwhelming approval along with low turnout — and said careful moves were needed to “preserve the positive potential of the deal.”
Under the deal, the former Yugoslav republic would amend its name to North Macedonia and Greece would drop its objections to the country joining NATO. Supporters, led by Zaev, had characterized Sunday’s vote as a linchpin of Macedonia’s future prosperity.