Referendum turnout in Macedonia shows voters boycott decisions imposed from outside – Moscow

The turnout of 36.8 percent does not allow politicians to recognize a referendum in Macedonia as having taken place, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday. The result unambiguously indicates that the Macedonian voters “preferred to boycott the decisions roughly imposed from outside Skopje and Athens,” it said, referring to leading politicians from NATO and EU countries who directly participated “in the expanded propaganda campaign, interfering without ceremony in the internal affairs of this Balkan country.” Despite the fact that two-thirds of the Macedonian population did not support the agreement between Macedonia and Greece, the results of the vote were immediately welcomed by the leadership of the EU and NATO, as well as by Washington, the Russian ministry said. One can clearly see “aspiration to ensure the accelerated drawing of Skopje to NATO despite the opinion of the Macedonian people,” the statement said, adding that the UN Security Council should consider results of the talks between Skopje and Athens. The referendum on signing a treaty with Greece to rename the Republic of Macedonia held on September 30 has been declared void, chairman of the state election commission Oliver Derkoski said on Monday.