Macedonia had a rare moment in the international spotlight on September 30, as many in the United States and European capitals awaited the outcome of a pivotal referendum on the country’s name.
Greece has been blocking Macedonia’s accession to both NATO and the European Union due to what it sees as territorial claims implied in the current constitutional name, the Republic of Macedonia.
The fact that the referendum, which asked voters to accept a name change negotiated with Athens, failed to pass the required 50 percent turnout threshold was interpreted as a defeat for the government or, worse, as a victory for Russia, which has doggedly resisted the expansion of NATO and the EU.
Despite all the attention, however, few outside observers have properly examined Macedonia’s internal dynamics or noted the extent to which public disillusionment with establishment politics—and with the media—may have contributed to the low turnout.
High hopes and deep problems
Optimists abroad have hailed Macedonia as one of the very few countries around the world that have seen positive developments for democracy over the past year and a half.
In fact, it was identified as one of the wider region’s “bright spots” in Freedom House’s 2018 Nations in Transit report, which said the new government that took power in May 2017 had a seminal opportunity to end a decade of political wrongdoing and start the arduous task of reversing state capture.
The right-wing party VMRO-DPMNE, in power from 2006 to 2016, had built a governing system based on bribery, election rigging, clientelism, and intimidation.
According to wiretapped conversations that are the subject of ongoing criminal cases, the party set up an extensive illegal surveillance program, recording the conversations of up to 20,000 citizens, including journalists.
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