BACK TO THE NAMING BOARD? MACEDONIA’S REFERENDUM

Last Friday, Willis previewed a referendum held in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on the question of changing the small nation’s name to “North Macedonia.” The change is meant to persuade Greece to drop its long-standing objections to FYROM’s possible entry into the European Union and NATO. Since Greece is already a member of both, it can veto any new membership applications, and since it has a northern province called “Macedonia” Athens refuses to share that name. Speculation also swirled that Russia, which opposes further NATO expansion, was keen to seethe referendum fail.

Well, FYROM held the vote last weekend, and some 90 percent cast a ballot in favor of the new name. The catch? Voter turnout fell far short of the 50% threshold needed to make the vote valid (only around 35% of eligible voters showed up). Many voters, it seems, heeded the calls of some politicians in FYROM to boycott the vote as an expression of defiance against Greece. Why, they ask, must we jump through these hoops to claim what is ours?

Zoran Zaev, FYROM's disappointed prime minister, has vowed to press on with efforts to change the nation’s name with an appeal to parliament to end the impasse. Given the geopolitical issues at stake, this remains a very big story in a small country. Stay tuned…

More from GZERO Media

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 17, 2025.

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

A federal judge set up a showdown with the Trump administration on Wednesday with a ruling that threatens to find the government in contempt if it fails to comply with a judicial order to provide due process to Venezuelans deported to a prison in El Salvador.

Gavin Newsom speaks at the Vogue World: Hollywood Announcement at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, CA on March 26, 2025.
Photo by Corine Solberg/Sipa USA

California governor Gavin Newsom kicked off a campaign to promote Canadian tourism in his state, pitching its sunny beaches, lush vineyards, and world-class restaurants.

An employee checks filled capsules inside a Cadila Pharmaceutical company manufacturing unit at Dholka town on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, April 12, 2025.
REUTERS/Amit Dave

Donald Trump’s administration announced that it is opening investigations into pharmaceutical and semiconductor supply chains, which will likely result in tariffs that will hurt suppliers in Europe, India, and Canada.

Anderson Clayton, chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party speaks after Democrat Josh Stein won the North Carolina governor's race, in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S., November 5, 2024.
REUTERS/Jonathan Drake

As the Democrats start plotting their fight back into power in the 2026 midterms, one issue has come up again and again.

People gather after Friday prayers during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Amman, Jordan, on April 4, 2025.
REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak

Jordanian authorities announced on Wednesday the arrest of 16 people accused of planning terrorist attacks inside Jordan. The country’s security services say the suspects had been under surveillance since 2021, and half a dozen of them were reportedly members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist organization.