The state election commission in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) says voter turnout for a referendum on changing the country's name to “Republic of North Macedonia” to pave the way for NATO membership stood at 28.8 percent two hours before polls close.

 

 State Electoral Commission head Oliver Derkoski provided the updated turnout figure as of 5 p.m. Sunday.

 

 Low turnout could make it harder for FYROM Prime Minister Zoran Zaev to persuade lawmakers to vote on constitutional changes needed for the deal with Greece to become final.

 

 The country’s Constitution requires a minimum turnout of 50 percent of eligible voters for a binding referendum. However, Zaev's government says the referendum was called as a consultative move.

 

 That means it could interpret the outcome as a fair reflection of public opinion regardless of how many voters participated. [AP]</s>Macedonia's prime minister vowed last night to press on with a vote in parliament to change the country's name to resolve a decades-old dispute with Greece, despite not getting 50pc turnout at a referendum required to make it valid.

Macedonia's prime minister vowed last night to press on with a vote in parliament to change the country's name to resolve a decades-old dispute with Greece, despite not getting 50pc turnout at a referendum required to make it valid.

The proposed name change is part of an agreement reached in June by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev with Greece to resolve the dispute over the country's name, which had prevented Macedonia from joining Nato or the EU.

With 85pc of votes counted, official turnout was just 36pc, and election officials made clear there was no chance the threshold would be cleared.

The people who did vote overwhelmingly backed the name change - more than 90pc voted Yes with 63pc of polling stations reporting. But that had never been in doubt, since opponents of the change had urged followers not to vote, rather than vote No.

"It is clear that the agreement with Greece has not received the green light from the people," main nationalist opposition VMRO-DPMNE party leader Hristiajn Mickoski said.

The referendum was itself not legally binding, but politicians had pledged to abide by it. The failure to reach the turnout threshold means opponents can now freely vote against the deal.

In an address, Mr Zaev made no mention of the turnout but said the votes of those who had backed the change must be respected. He pledged to hold a vote in parliament on the name change.</s>KOCHI: Change150, initiated by Kochi-based Letter Farms, has been born from the concept of bringing a change in society. According to LetterFarms co-founder Juby John, 150 postcards from across the country bearing ideas of change will be send to the President and the Prime Minister. Volunteers will tour the country and visit schools and colleges to collect the ideas from youngsters below 35 years.

The project was kicked off as a precursor to Gandhi Jayanti as a continuation of honouring Mahatma Gandhi and his dreams of change in society.“CHANGE150, launched today in Delhi, is an open invitation to the youth of India to handwrite one change that they passionately wish to see in the world on a postcard. This nationwide campaign is aiming to mobilise over a million change ideas from youngsters around India in the next 12 months.

It will culminate with 150 specially handpicked change ideas - capturing the collective voice, aspiration and hope of young India – being presented to key decision makers of our country, including the President, Prime Minister, Governors of states and Chief Ministers on the occasion of Gandhiji’s 150th birth anniversary on October 2 next year,” Juby said.

Saji Mathew, co-founder of LetterFarms says that the project is a timely ‘change-hunt’ among the youth to identify 150 most compelling change ideas from across the country. “Small or big, zoom into that one change that you feel has the power to transform the lives of people around us,” he said.

The launch of the project was supported by a rainbow of seven Delhi school organisations – National Progressive School Conference, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Archdiocese of Delhi, Andhra Education Society, Delhi Tamil Education Association, Delhi State Public Schools’ Management Association and the Forum of Minority Schools.

“We are happy to bring Bapu’s words to life by harnessing the power of youth and engaging them to think for the greater good of the nation, thus preparing them to be responsible citizens of tomorrow,” explains Jubie said. “We plan to expand into all states through strategic collaborations, and want to create a national platform for change ideas to transform into change catalysts with public and private partnerships” he further explains.

How to participate

 If you’re under the age of 35, think of that one change you always wish to see, write it down on a simple postcard and post it to CHANGE150, LetterFarms, Post Bag No. 1683, Kochi, Kerala 682015. More information can be found on their website www.change150.in</s>(CNN) A referendum on changing Macedonia's name -- a step toward European Union and NATO membership -- received overwhelming support from voters on Sunday, according to a preliminary tally.

But with only a little more than a third of eligible voters casting ballots -- perhaps the result of a campaign calling on people to abstain from voting -- both those in favor of and opposed to the measure claimed victory.

Supporters of the referendum, including Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, had hoped at least half of voters would turn out to give Zaev the legitimacy to push the constitutional change, part of an agreement with Greece, through Parliament.

Still, Zaev told reporters Sunday night that the citizens of Macedonia had "made a rather significant choice."

"I, the opposition, and all citizens know that there would not be a better agreement with Greece," he said in a news conference. "There is no alternative to the EU, NATO membership. Let's not play with our future and the future of our Macedonia."

Meantime, opposition party leader Hristijan Micoski said the results show that the referendum was "deeply unsuccessful."

"Macedonia spoke out today, saying that this referendum will not pass," Micoski, whose VMRO DPMNE party encouraged a boycott, said in a statement on Facebook.

Macedonians were voting in a referendum on whether they're in favor of joining the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) alliance and the EU and accepting an agreement with Greece to change the country's name to the Republic of North Macedonia. Greece insists that only its own province of Macedonia, birthplace of Alexander the Great, can claim that name, and Greece has blocked its northern neighbor's previous attempt to join the alliance.

The dispute has been a stumbling block in relations since Macedonian independence from Yugoslavia nearly three decades ago. The agreement on the name change, signed by the Greek and Macedonian prime ministers in June, is the first time a resolution has been within sight.

Authorities had set the turnout threshold at 50 percent, however the referendum is consultative, which means Zaev can trigger the process of constitutional amendments to rename Macedonia regardless of the outcome.

Western officials weigh in

The referendum has been closely watched, with Western officials including US Defense Secretary James Mattis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini traveling to the Balkan country's capital Skopje in the weeks leading up to the vote. Mattis called it the most important vote in the nation's history.

Following the vote, US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert issued a statement saying that Washington strongly supported "the Agreement's full implementation" which she said would "allow Macedonia to take its rightful place in NATO and the EU, contributing to regional stability, security, and prosperity."

EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn tweeted Sunday : "I congratulate those citizens who voted in today's consultative referendum and made use of their democratic freedoms. With the very significant 'yes' vote, there is broad support support to the #Prespa Agreement + to the country's #Euroatlantic path. I now expect all political leaders to respect this decision and take it forward with utmost responsibility and unity across party lines, in the interest of the country."

Stoltenberg also welcomed the result on Twitter, saying : "I urge all political leaders & parties to engage constructively & responsibly to seize this historic opportunity. #NATO's door is open, but all national procedures have to be completed."

Disinformation campaign

Supporters of the referendum see it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to kick-start an economic revival, and Zaev is banking on NATO membership bringing much needed investment to Macedonia.

But there was a large and organized disinformation campaign to boycott the vote, according to Goran Nikolovski, director of Macedonia's Administration for Security and Counterintelligence. Nikolovski told Skopje TV that security services are investigating a systematic attempt to undermine the vote through social media and disinformation.

The Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity, a think tank co-founded by former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen also said it has found evidence that Twitter bots were being deployed to suppress voter turnout. In a statement, the organization said it found that accounts calling for a boycott and created two months ago make up 10% of the online conversation -- a figure they say is almost three times higher than in the Italian election.

With nearly all ballots processed, voter turnout was 36.87% Monday morning. Of those 91.48% supported the agreement and 5.64% were against it, according to State Election Commission figures.

Russia denies interference

Western officials have said Russia has had a hand in meddling in the name change campaign.

On his way to Skopje, Mattis said there was "no doubt" Russia was transferring money and conducting a broader campaign to undermine the name change.

"We do not want to see Russia doing there [in Macedonia] what they have tried to do in so many other countries," Mattis told reporters.

Speaking in Washington last month , Stoltenberg said Russia was trying to use disinformation and social media to prevent Macedonia from joining NATO.

JUST WATCHED What in the World: Russia meddling in Balkans Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH What in the World: Russia meddling in Balkans 03:16

Moscow openly opposes Macedonia's NATO aspirations, having long been a major player in the Balkans, but the Kremlin has long denied it meddles in other nations' votes.

Zaev said there was no evidence Russia was behind the disinformation campaign, though he acknowledged it clearly opposed Macedonia's NATO accession.

Powerful voices within the government also urged Macedonia's citizens to abstain. Macedonia's President Gjorge Ivanov announced he would boycott the referendum, warning that the country was being asked to commit "legal and historical suicide."

His views were echoed by the small but loud anti-referendum party United Macedonia, which has sprung up in the last few months and has close relations with Vladimir Putin's United Russia party, according to party leaders.

Its leader Janko Bacev says the West wants to erase Macedonia from the world map and he drummed up support for the boycott in rallies across the country.</s>SKOPJE (Reuters) - Macedonia’s prime minister pledged on Sunday to press on with a vote in parliament to change the country’s name to resolve a decades-old dispute with Greece, despite failing to secure the 50 percent turnout at a referendum required to make it valid.

The proposed name change is part of an agreement reached in June by pro-Western Prime Minister Zoran Zaev with Greece to resolve the dispute over the country’s name, which had prevented Macedonia from joining NATO or the EU.

With 85 percent of votes counted, official turnout was just 36 percent, and election officials made clear there was no chance the threshold would be cleared.

“On this referendum, it is clear that the decision has not been made,” election commission head Oliver Derkoski told reporters.

The people who did vote overwhelmingly backed the name change — more than 90 percent voted yes with 63 percent of polling stations reporting. But that had never been in doubt, since opponents of the change had urged followers not to vote, rather than vote no.

Related Coverage Macedonia name referendum fails to reach turnout threshold: election commission

“It is clear that the agreement with Greece has not received the green light from the people,” main nationalist opposition VMRO-DPMNE party leader Hristiajn Mickoski told journalists.

The referendum was itself not legally binding, but lawmakers had pledged to abide by it, and the failure to reach the turnout threshold means opponents can now freely vote against the deal.

The nationalist opposition holds 49 seats in the 120-seat parliament, enough to block the two-thirds majority required to change the constitution.

In an address, Zaev made no mention of the turnout but said the votes of those who had backed the change must be respected. He pledged to hold a vote in parliament on the name change, and call an early election if lawmakers failed to enact it.

“I am determined to take Macedonia into the European Union and NATO,” Zaev said. He spoke again later in the evening, along similar lines: “It is time to support European Macedonia.”

Macedonia's PM Zoran Zaev, his wife Zorica and his son Dushko cast their ballot for the referendum in Macedonia on changing the country's name that would open the way for it to join NATO and the European Union in Strumica, Macedonia September 30, 2018. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

BLOW

The Greek foreign ministry said it respected the will of the people of the country, which it refers to by the provisional name Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The referendum passed judgment on the agreement with Greece reached in June, under which Macedonia would change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia. Greece, which has its own province called Macedonia, maintains that its northern neighbor’s name represents a claim on its territory.

Because of the dispute, Greece has vetoed Macedonia’s entrance into NATO and the EU. While polls have long showed that a vast majority of Macedonians want to join NATO and the EU, nationalist opponents of the name change argued that it undermined the ethnic identity of Macedonia’s Slavic majority.

The question on the referendum ballot read: “Are you for NATO and EU membership with acceptance of the agreement with Greece”.

Supporters of the name change argued that it was a price worth paying to pursue admission into bodies such as the EU and NATO.

Slideshow (11 Images)

“I came today to vote for the future of the country, for young people in Macedonia so they can be live freely under the umbrella of the European Union because it means safer lives for all of us,” said Olivera Georgijevska, 79, in Skopje.

But opponents said the name change represented national humiliation.

“We are for NATO and EU, but we want to join with our heads up, not through the service door,” said Vladimir Kavadarkov, who backed the referendum boycott. “We are a poor country, but we do have dignity.”</s>After voting finished in a name change referendum in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said that despite a “boycott” he expected that the majority voted “yes” and that the result should be reflected in Parliament.

 

 “Decisions are taken by those who vote. The vote is final and the decision of citizens cannot be ignored,” he said while calling the process a “success for democracy and for a European Macedonia.”

 

 Zaev said that the Prespes agreement will go to FYROM’s Parliament for ratification. If lawmakers fail to support the deal the country will go to elections, he added.</s>Fyrom’s Prime Minister, Zoran Zaev, vowed to continue to pursue implementation of the Greece-FYROM Prespa Agreement, following yesterday’s referendum on the accord.

He said that he will seek a vote in parliament on the constitutional amendments required by the agreement, in order to resolve the dispute with Greece over the name issue, despite the fact that voter participation in the non-binding referendum did not reach the over 50 percent of the electorate needed for it to be considered valid.

The result, with nearly all the votes counted, showed that 91.39 percent of those who participated voted ‘Yes’ on the agreement, and only 5.71 percent voted ‘No’.

The fact that two-thirds of the electorate did not vote in the referendum, however, was a significant blow for Zaev. Though the results of the percentage of the electorate that voted had not been officially announced, it was estimated that it was 36.6 percent.

Oliver Derkovski, the president of the FYROM’s State Election Commission, said that it is “clear that a decision was not taken” in the referendum.

Implementation of the accord requires that the country’s name be changed to Republic of North Macedonia.

Opponents of the agreement, including President Gjorge Ivanov, called on voters to abstain from the voting in the referendum, so that it would not be considered valid.

“It is clear that the agreement with Greece was not given a Green light by citizens,” main opposition VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickovski told journalists, adding that the government has lost its legitimisation after the results of the referendum.

Asked if he intends to step down as PM, Zaev said, “I do not intend to resign…It is my duty to stay on.”

 Zaev said that citizens who voted in the referendum made “a serious contribution” and “helped to build the foundations of the future of our country”.

“Over 650,000 citizens voted in the referendum supported [the name change]. Over 90 percent supported [the name change], and believe that the country must accept the agreement with Greece and become a member of Nato and the European Union,” Zaev said.

Although the referendum was not legally binding, FYROM’s MPs had said that they would be bound by the results.

 However, the fact that the turnout rate was not sufficient (over 50 percent of registered voters) for the referendum to be considered valid, gave opponents of the agreement opportunity to oppose it when it is tabled in parliament.

The nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party has 48 seats in parliament (out of a total of 120 MPs), enough to block the necessary constitutional amendments, for which a two-thirds majority is needed.

Zaev in his post-referendum remarks made no mention of voter turnout, but insisted that the vote of those who supported the name change must be respected. He said that he will put the issue of proceeding with the constitutional amendment process to a vote in parliament, and if it is not approved he will call early elections.

 Zaev said that he is determined to ensure that FYROM “accedes to the European Union and Nato”, and that the time has come to support the country’s European prospects.

Opponents of the agreement say that it constitutes a national humiliation.

Zaev and the ethnic Albanian parties (which represent 20-25 percent of the population of the country) have no choice but to attempt to persuade the ten additional VMRO-DMNE MPs needed to form a two-thirds parliamentary majority to support the required constitutional amendments, which will change the name of the country and remove irredentist provisions.

In a telephone conversation after the referendum, Tsipras extolled Zaev’s “decisiveness in pursuing implementation” of the Prespa Agreement.

Nato’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, urged all political leaders and parties to avail themselves of an historic opportunity.

European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who is competent for enlargement issues, called on FYROM’s political parties to “respect” the result.</s>With 98 percent of votes counted in a referendum to change the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) early on Monday morning, the "yes" votes reached 91 percent, but turnout remained low at 36.87 percent.

Despite the low participation, with just 630,000 FYROM citizens casting ballots, FYROM's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev indicated on Sunday night that he would bring the deal to Parliament, and call snap elections if MPs do not back it.

In comments to reporters on Sunday night, Zaev put a brave face on the low turnout, focusing instead on the high percentage of positive votes.

It was a victory for the "yes" camp, he said, adding that "the will of the people must be respected by everyone."

"Voters cast their ballots with pride," he added, noting that most appeared to have voted "yes" despite a boycott championed by the political opposition.

Zaev called on the opposition to support the constitutional changes that FYROM must pass for the deal to be ratified.

"The VMRO must support the constitutional changes otherwise there is no democratic path, apart from going to elections," he said, referring to the main opposition party VMRO-DPMNE.

For his part, VMRO leader Hristijan Mickoski described the outcome of the referendum as "a red light for the deal," adding that FYROM citizens sent a strong message about "Macedonian" language and identity.

Mickoski alleged vote-rigging in certain areas and called on the government to offer explanations.

"The people want EU and NATO [accession]," he said, "but not that deal."
91.5% of votes are in favor of the change. The voter turnout is only 36.9%, below the 50% threshold set by the government. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev still vows to propose the change in a parliament vote.