Macedonia parliament votes to change name of country to North Macedonia
1,425 views · Published 25 October 2018 · 2:11 · Indexed 25 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(19 Oct 2018) Lawmakers in Macedonia on Friday backed a landmark proposal to amend the constitution, allowing the country to change its name and join NATO. The session was delayed for more than 10 hours amid a heated confrontation. Parliament eventually voted in favour of the proposal - a key step in accepting the deal struck with neighbouring Greece in June. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev's Social Democrat government struggled to woo support from the conservative opposition members needed to achieve the two-thirds majority required in the 120-seat house. With strong backing from Western leaders, Zaev is leading a campaign to rename the country North Macedonia, resolving a longstanding dispute with Greece that will allow the country to join NATO. Conservatives in Macedonia vehemently oppose the name change and boycotted a referendum last month on the issue. Following Friday's vote, the amendment process must formally start within the next two weeks. Zaev would have been forced to call an early election if the government had lost the vote. The name-change would end a 27-year dispute with Greece, which claims its neighbour's current name implies claims on its own adjoining province of Macedonia, and on ancient Greek heritage. Athens said it would block Macedonia's accession to NATO and the European Union unless it went ahead with the constitutional amendments. Western officials strongly back the deal, which would reduce Russian influence in the Balkans. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/62969f71ff046a2eecda9a82cbdea8bc
