Macedonia: failure of the referendum about the new name, a low turnout. Most voters were “for it”. The matter goes back to Parliament

The referendum about the new name of Macedonia (North Macedonia) and the Balkan country’s joining the EU and NATO, which took place yesterday, September 30^th, ended in failure. This is proven by a low turnout of 36.9%. The count shows, instead, that most people, about 92% of them, voted “for”. The referendum could only be valid with a minimum turnout of 50%. “The referendum does not settle the matter”, stated Oliver Derkoski, president of the Election Committee. The question was: “Are you for joining NATO and the European Union by endorsing the agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and Greece?”. For decades, Skopje and Athens have been quarrelling about the name “Macedonia”, which Greece claims as its own. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who held the referendum, did not resign, stating that “the voters’ will must be supported by Parliament”. Zaev also said that, “if the opposition stops the Treaty with Greece, then early election will be held”. The leader of Nationalist party Vmro-Dpmne, Cristian Mickoski, said that “the agreement about the name did not get the green lights, it was stopped by the people”. However, the referendum was a consultative, not a compulsory one, so its failure does not mean that the Treaty with Greece will be frozen, though it will not make it easier to enforce it.