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Boundary Demarcation: Ohrid Agreement

Implementations

Boundary Demarcation – 2001

Provision on boundary demarcation was not implemented.

Boundary Demarcation – 2002

The Macedonian parliament approved a new law on local self-government on 24 January.[fn]”MACEDONIA HAS A NEW LAW ON LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT,” IPR Strategic Business Information Database, February 5, 2002.[/efn_note] But, boundaries of municipalities were not redrawn in 2002.

Boundary Demarcation – 2003

Boundaries of municipalities were not redrawn in 2003.

Boundary Demarcation – 2004

After the government approval of the draft, the Macedonian parliament opened a debate on a contentious draft law on 26 July 2004. The law, if passed would give ethnic Albanians control of 16 municipalities in the tense Balkan state.¹ “The decentralization law also would reduce the number of municipalities from 123 to 80, in some cases redrawing borders to include ethnic Albanian villages in Macedonian-dominated municipalities. In two towns, the new borders would give ethnic Albanians majority control.”² But the opposition had lodged some 200 amendments to the proposal. At the same time, the government had postponed the local election scheduled for October that year.

On August 11, 2004, the parliament adopted the bill that would redraw the municipal boundaries and give ethnic Albanian minority greater power.³ The measure was adopted with 61-7 in the 120-seat assembly.

The opposition, however, lodged a petition on 1 September 2004 demanding a referendum to revoke a disputed decentralization law.⁴ The referendum took place on November 7, 2004. Macedonia’s government, the European Union, and the United States urged voters to boycott the referendum vote. In the referendum, the measure to scale back the decentralization and boundary demarcation was defeated as the turnout did not met the 50% threshold.⁵

“Macedonia’s parliament debates law to give ethnic Albanians control of some cities,” Associated Press Worldstream, July 26, 2004.
“Government calls for postponement of local elections in Macedonia until decentralization law approved,” Associated Press Worldstream, July 30, 2004.
“Macedonia adopts key reform that changes balance of ethnic power,” Associated Press Worldstream, August 12, 2004.
“Macedonia’s opposition petitions for referendum on disputed decentralization law,” Associated Press Worldstream, September 1, 2004.
“International Observers Say Macedonia Vote Meets Standards; Statement by OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights,” State Department, November 8, 2004.