
A man casts his ballot for the referendum in Macedonia on changing the country's name in Skopje, Macedonia September 2018.
Marko Djurica/REUTERS
What’s in a name? Enough to hold a referendum on it. Thus, some 1.8 million voters in the Republic of Macedonia were asked on Sunday, September 30, to cast a vote on their country’s name. The question on the ballot: “Are you in favor of European Union and NATO membership by accepting the agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Greece?” The accord in question is known as the Prespa Agreement, provisionally signed by the Greek and Macedonian prime ministers earlier this year. In it, Macedonia agrees to change its name to “the Republic of North Macedonia.”
Source URL: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/greece/2018-10-01/names-macedonia-north-macedonia