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SKOPJE, Macedonia – Latest news on the referendum in Macedonia on the change of name of the country (local time):
9:20 p.m.
Election officials in Macedonia said that nearly half of the polling stations counting, more than 90% of voters had approved an agreement with Greece that would change the name of the country in North Macedonia to allow accession to the country. NATO.
However, Sunday's turnout at the referendum was low. Officials reported that at 18:30, half an hour before the polls closed, the rate was 34%. The figure was based on data from 85% of the polling stations.
Opponents of the agreement had called for a boycott of the referendum and had celebrated the low turnout, saying it was clear that the Macedonians did not want to accept the name change.
But Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said that he would continue with the next step, which was to seek Parliament's support for the constitutional changes required under the agreement.
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8:00 p.m..
The Macedonian Prime Minister has announced the holding of a referendum on the change of name of the country, considered as "a success for democracy and for a European Macedonia", and plans to give the floor to the citizens once the results and the final participation rate will be known.
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev spoke after the polls closed during Sunday's vote. The referendum asked voters whether they had supported an agreement with Greece that would change the name of their country in North Macedonia to pave the way for NATO membership.
The low turnout could make it more difficult for Zaev to garner enough support in parliament for the constitutional amendments needed to finalize the deal. If the amendments fail to obtain the two-thirds majority required for the vote, Mr Zaev said that he would immediately call an early election.
Opponents of the agreement urged voters to boycott the referendum. Among the critics were President Gjorge Ivanov, who described the agreement with Greece as a "flagrant violation of sovereignty".
The chairman of the state election commission, Oliver Derkoski, said the turnout was 34% half an hour before polls closed, according to data from 85% of polling stations.
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6:55 p.m.
Proponents of boycott by referendum voters in Macedonia on changing the country's name in North Macedonia to pave the way for NATO membership begin to be celebrated on the basis of the low voter turnout announced by officials elections before the close of the poll.
Supporters of the boycott applauded and chanted "Macedonia" in front of the parliament in the capital, Skopje. The participation rate was less than 29% two hours before polls closed.
The agreement with Greece, signed in June, would put an end to a dispute dating back to the early 1990s, when Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia. Greece argued that the name of its small neighbor implied territorial ambitions for its own Macedonian province and blocked the country's efforts to join NATO.
But the deal has faced stiff opposition from both sides of the border, critics accusing their respective governments of overly conceding to each other.
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5:45 p.m.
The electoral commission of Macedonia announced that the electoral participation in a referendum on the change of name of the country in North Macedonia in order to open the way to membership in NATO was 28, 8% two hours before polls close.
The chairman of the State Election Commission, Oliver Derkoski, communicated the updated figure of the turnout to 17 hours. Sunday. The low turnout could make it more difficult for Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev to persuade legislators to vote on the constitutional changes needed to make the deal with Greece a permanent one.
The Macedonian constitution requires a minimum turnout of 50% of voters in a binding referendum. However, Zaev's government said the referendum was called in an advisory capacity.
This means that the result could be interpreted as a faithful reflection of the public opinion, regardless of the number of voters who participated.
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15h
A Macedonian election official said the turnout in the referendum on the name change in Macedonia was 16% six hours before the polls closed.
Macedonians vote on the acceptance of an agreement with neighboring Greece under which they will change the name of their country to North Macedonia and Greece will abandon its objections to the country's accession to the country. 39; NATO.
Oliver Derkoski, president of the National Electoral Commission, gave the participation figure.
The government, which called the referendum, termed it non-binding, which means it could view the result as a faithful reflection of public opinion, regardless of the turnout .
Opponents of the deal with Greece, including President Gjorge Ivanov, called for a boycott of the vote.
– This corrects the name of the election leader in Derkoski.
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10 hours
Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev voted in his country's crucial referendum on the decision to accept a historic agreement ending the dispute with Greece by changing the country's name to North Macedonia.
Speaking after voting Sunday in the southeastern town of Strumica, Zaev urged his compatriots to come forward to vote. He said he was confident in strong participation that would prove that Macedonians are in favor of joining NATO and possibly the European Union.
Zaev said Macedonians "decide the fate of our country. I invite everyone to participate and make this serious decision for the future of our country, for future generations. "
The deal, however, faced stiff opposition from both sides of the border and critics urged the population to boycott Sunday's referendum.
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7h
Macedonians decide the future of their country and wonder if they will accept a historic agreement ending a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece by changing the name of their country to North Macedonia and opening the way to NATO membership.
The June agreement would put an end to a dispute dating back to the early 1990s, when Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia. Greece had argued that the use of the name implied territorial ambitions for its own province of the same name and blocked the country's efforts to join NATO.
But the deal has faced stiff opposition from both sides of the border and critics have urged citizens to boycott Sunday's referendum.
Among the opponents in Macedonia, the country's president, Gjorge Ivanov, called the agreement a "flagrant violation of sovereignty".
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Ivana Bzganovic in Skopje contributed to this report.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.
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