Page 2 - bne_newspaper_September_28_2018

Top Stories
September 28, 2018 www.intellinews.com I Page 2
Macedonians deeply divided ahead of crucial name deal referendum
However, according to opinion polls, the major- ity will vote for the name deal as a chance for the country that has waited so long in front of the EU and Nato's doors to make further progress in its Euro-Atlantic integration processes.
Others, who plan to boycott the vote, see the name deal as harmful and a threat to Macedonian national identity.
The question that will be posed is “Are you for
EU and Nato integration by accepting the deal be- tween the Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Greece?” Around 1.8mn people will be eligible to vote.
The main opposition party, VMRO-DPMNE, rejects the deal as harmful and thinks the referendum question is ambiguous. However, it has held back from urging its supporters to boycott the vote.
This is positive for those seeking a yes vote, as the turnout in the referendum is crucial: for it to be successful 50% + one vote is needed. Polls suggest that under 58% of the electorate intend to vote.
Officials from the government are strongly cam- paigning to convince citizens that the deal is
good for both sides, and will allow Macedonia to achieve economic progress and at the same time will preserve national identity, as in their identity documents the people will be called Macedoni- ans/citizens of North Macedonia and the language will continue to be known as Macedonian.
Politicians divided
In his latest speech before the end of the cam- paign, 48 hours before the referendum, Social Democrat Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said on September 27 that people should make a historic decision on Sunday.
“You need to make a choice. Remember, it's not a choice between two political parties. It is a choice for your future, for the future of your children. It is a choice for the future of our beloved Macedonia,” Zaev said.
“I know, we need to make a concession and accept a geographical qualifier for the name Macedonia, but no one else can deny our identity,” the PM underlined.
He further went on “Our Macedonian language and identity are protected forever. The anthem, the flag remain the same. We are Macedonians and we will always be Macedonians!
“Let’s vote for European Macedonia,” the prime minister called on citizens to vote.
Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov, who has fre- quently been on TV lately to explain the benefits of the deal, said in his latest interview with broad- caster Kanal 5 on September 27 that a yes vote will put a “full stop to the identity challenges.”
The same day, President Gjorge Ivanov, who is close to the conservative VMRO-DPMNE, said in an address to the UN General Assembly in New York that he will not cast a vote in the referendum, saying that the country was being asked to com- mit "historical suicide".
"On September 30, I will not vote and I know that you, my fellow citizens, will make a similarly wise decision,” Ivanov said.
28 Macedonian rightwing political parties and NGOs led by the small pro-Russian United Mac- edonia party have also called for a boycott.
VMRO-DPMNE decided on September 12 to leave citizens to decide on their own how to vote in the upcoming referendum but reiterated it is against the name deal, which it thinks is "capitulatory". "The agreement is unacceptable for us, but this is an issue which is beyond parties’ interest, so we decided that every citizen should act according to