Macedonian citizens to decide on country's name change in referendum

SKOPJE, (Patria) - A referendum is being held in Macedonia today, where citizens are answering the question “Are you for membership in the EU and NATO by accepting the agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Greece?”, RSE reports.

The agreement was signed in June by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Macedonia and Greece, Nikola Dimitrov and Nikos Kotzias, and among other things, it stipulates that the country's name will be the Republic of North Macedonia for both external and internal use.

The implementation of the agreement will be carried out in stages and will enter into force as soon as both sides accept the document in accordance with internal procedures.

Slightly more than one million and 800 thousand voters registered on the voter list have the right to vote in the plebiscitary vote. Around 3,500 polling stations in 80 municipalities in the country opened at 7 AM, and voting ends at 7 PM.

The first results are expected to be known a few hours after the ballot boxes are closed. On Saturday, sick and infirm individuals, detainees and prisoners, as well as citizens of the Republic of Macedonia living abroad, voted.

The referendum is being monitored by around 12,000 domestic and around 500 international observers. A total of 83 foreign journalists have been accredited to report on the referendum.

During the 30-day campaign, which ended on Thursday evening, the ruling parties called on citizens to turn out for the referendum and cast their vote for a European Macedonia.

The opposition VMRO DPMNE did not make a specific statement, but advised voters to act according to their convictions on Sunday, emphasizing that they also advocate for NATO and EU membership, but are against the Agreement with Greece.

The President of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, reiterated in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly that he would not vote and asked citizens to make the right decision. Several smaller parties, civic associations, and individuals campaigned with the stance that they would boycott the referendum, considering the Agreement with Greece to be detrimental to the country's future.

During the campaign, Macedonia was visited by many high-ranking international and regional political representatives, including NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and many others. They all came with a similar message - for citizens to turn out for the referendum and for the Agreement with Greece to be implemented, in order to open the door to Euro-Atlantic integration for Macedonia.