Macedonia Lawmakers To Hold Critical Debate Over Name Change

Macedonian lawmakers were set to hold a crucial debate on changing the country's name to settle a decades-long dispute with Greece, reported Radio Free Europe. 

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has backed changing the country's name to Republic of North Macedonia, and is pushing for approval in the debate scheduled for January 9.

However, he doesn't have a two-thirds majority in the 120-member parliament.

That means he and his party need lawmakers from the opposition VMRO-DPMNE to back the effort. That happened in November when the name change process began.

If parliament passes the change, Greece has promised to stop blocking Skopje's efforts to join NATO and the European Union.

But even if the Macedonia approves the name change, it also still needs to be endorsed by the Greek parliament.

Nationalist protesters were set to hold a demonstration on January 9, when lawmakers begin debating the measures.