1^st October 2018 is a day after the referendum in Macedonia which resulted in a 37% turnout of all registered voters who have used their democratic right. This event by many was considered a historical moment. However, the turnout was not enough as it required 50% + 1 of registered votes to make the decision binding on parliament.

In order to best explain how Macedonia ended up holding a referendum, and why it was important, one needs to look back in history. On September 8, 1991 the Republic of Macedonia was born, when it gained its independence. However, Greece opposed the constitutional name of Macedonia, which at the time it was ignored as a fact, as none of the government made it “big issue.”  The issue became relevant when Macedonia wanted to join the United Nations (UN) with its constitutional name. Macedonia joined the UN but with an agreement that it will use a new and "temporary" name, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). This agreement was made in hopes that both Greek and Macedonia governments will move fast and solve the issue. At that time, it seemed that both governments thought that this problem would simply go away. But it turned out that it did not.  

This became an issue again as the country was making progress in the process of integration into NATO and the European Union. It was clear that without solving this issue with its neighbor, the country may not become a member of these organizations. As the government changed in Macedonia in 2017 the negotiations to solve the name issue with Greece began sooner than expected. On June 2018, both sides agreed to the name "Republic of North Macedonia" after many negotiations and compromises from each side. 

The new deal contained very interesting information such as that Macedonian's will have abbreviations as NM instead of MK on their car registration when they drive, but other than that MKD and MK will still remain the country's codes. The identity and language stayed the same, such as Macedonians and the Macedonian language, but agreed on an erga omnes. This means that even in their own country they will call each other North Macedonia, and that new documents such as passports, ID's and all of Macedonia's official buildings that represent the country would be renamed. For example, we will now see institutions writing: The Embassy of the Republic of North Macedonia. The currency will be written as; "Denars from
the Republic of North Macedonia."

This deal was acceptable to many people, but the referendum showed that it didn't reach out to the majority, even though more than 90% of 37% votes were "FOR". Given that the referendum didn’t get sufficient votes, now the government is aiming to get 2/3 of votes in the Macedonian Parliament. 

Therefore, as the referendum didn’t get sufficient voters and “FOR” votes, a new political crisis has started, which is not new to the citizens in Macedonia. Depending on how the Parliament votes on the deal is how things will progress in the country. Right now it's a known fact that without solving the name dispute Macedonia won't be able to join NATO and start the negotiation process with the European Union.

Joining NATO means that Macedonia will not just be a safer place, but that it will demonstrate maturity and that the country isn't what it used to be. It will also show that it is ready to use its potential and eventually join the European Union. This wouldn’t just mean attracting more investments but it would also mean that Macedonia is slowly starting to get on its feet and is shaping itself into a country that can offer safety and prosperous future for the people that live there! In this way, it would bring back the long-lost hope for the heartbroken youngsters who are ready to drop and leave everything so that they can try to recreate their future in a foreign country. 

Young people in Macedonia are living the consequences that have been caused as a result of not solved name dispute for three decades now, and I am afraid that it will not be waiting for another three decades to go through similar situation. Right now Macedonia and young people are paying a big price, but it's going to be worth at the end. The resolution of the name dispute is expected to boost the confidence (and hope) of people in Macedonia, and in particular young people who will finally see better prospects and their future in the country!

Author: Jovica Jovankovikj