Macedonian referendum

Germany's ruling centre-right party has urged its sister opposition party in Macedonia to support the deal with Greece in parliament - or be politically responsible for blocking Macedonia's integration into the EU and NATO and for isolating the country from Europe.

As Zoran Zaev, the prime minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, scrambles to seek political support for a name deal with Greece that drew a low turnout in a referendum on Sunday, Western leaders expressed support for the agreement while Moscow hinted that it could veto the deal at the United Nations Security Council.

AFP - Macedonia's government vowed Monday to push ahead with changing the country's name to appease Greece and build ties with the West, but opponents said low turnout in a referendum on the move made it illegitimate.

Premier Zoran Zaev wants to rename the Balkan state North Macedonia to end a long-running row with Athens and open a path to EU and NATO membership.

Developments in the coming days will show whether it is possible to reach an agreement with the conservative opposition on the constitutional changes the parliament of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is required to approve as part of a deal signed with Greece, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said on Monday, a day after the referendum held in the country.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's hopes of joining the European Union and NATO were in limbo on Monday, a day after voters backed a plan to change the country's name by a large margin but failed to hit the 50 percent turnout required for the referendum result to be valid.

In a post on Twitter on Monday, following a referendum on Sunday that drew a small turnout in favor of changing the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the country's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev indicated that there was no alternative to the deal with Greece.

Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announced he will forge ahead with his bid to pass the 'name' agreement with Greece through parliament, despite his "yes" campaign failing to draw enough voters to pass the turnout threshold required to make Sunday's historic referendum legally valid.

As a referendum on changing the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia attracted a low turnout on Sunday night, the prospects for the so-called Prespes deal between Athens and Skopje, and for the FYROM government, appeared unclear. 

The result of the referendum in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will be disputed by the country's opposition, especially the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE, as participation was significantly lower than 50 percent of the approximately 1.8 million registered voters.

After voting finished in a name change referendum in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said that despite a "boycott" he expected that the majority voted "yes" and that the result should be reflected in Parliament.