Macedonia’s Name Change Wins—But Its Opponents Do Too

In a historic referendum on Sunday, Macedonian voters backed by an overwhelming majority a deal to rename their country the “Republic of North Macedonia.” The move came with the promise of ending the country’s decades-long dispute with Greece over who gets to claim the name Macedonia, and of unlocking the country’s path to European Union and NATO membership.

But even with polls projecting a decisive ‘yes’ victory, it was clear well before the voting closed Sunday. Four hours later, it increased to 22.8 percent—a marked improvement, but still well below the 50 percent turnout needed for the referendum to be considered valid under Macedonian law. By 6:30 p.m., with less than an hour left until the polls closed, only 34.6 percent of voters had turned out to vote. Regardless of the outcome, the referendum was technically already lost.