An autonomy referendum was held in North Macedonia on 7 November 2004. Voters were asked whether they approved of overturning the municipal redistricting plans that gave greater autonomy to ethnic

Albanians The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...

following the Ohrid Agreement that ended the 2001 conflict between ethnic Albanian militants and the predominantly ethnic

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...

government forces. These had been changed to give ethnic Albanians greater control in districts where they had significant presence and gives local authorities greater control over education, health and development.Macedonia Votes on Local Autonomy for Ethnic Albanian Minority
'' Voice of America'' via ''Global Security'', 2004-07-11, accessed on 2007-03-18 It also reduced the number of municipalities from 123 to 84. Although 95% voted in favour of the change, the voter turnout of 27% was well below the 50% threshold,Election Profile
IFES resulting in it failing.

Background

The referendum was initiated by the World Macedonian Congress, led by Todor Petrov, whose "group of Voters" party won 0.25% of the vote in the 1998 parliamentary election.The Referendum: Macedonia's Failed, Fatal Opportunity
, ''Anti War.com'', 2004-11-13, accessed on 2007-03-18 It was backed by conservative parties, notably VMRO-DPMNE, and non-Albanian ethnic minority parties. Backers were opposed to the Ohrid Accord and said the law was divisive and would lead to the breakup of the Republic of Macedonia. The then Prime Minister,

Hari Kostov Hari Kostov ( mk, Хари Костов) (born November 13, 1959 in s. Pishica Probištip) is a Macedonian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Macedonia from May 2004 until his resignation in November 2004. He was appointed to the po ...

said he would quit if the referendum succeeded and urged voters to boycott the vote, so it would fail to meet the 50% turnout requirement. The European Union and United States also urged a boycott, and said that accession to the EU and NATO would be more difficult. Four days before the vote the United States announced they would start referring to the country as the Republic of Macedonia rather than the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in a move said to strengthen the government position. Prior to the vote, a Macedonian newspaper carried a story suggesting that if the referendum succeeded, Albanian militants had planned to blow up a pipeline carrying water to the capital Skopje.What Fear Motivated the West's Anti-Referendum Hysteria?
''Balkan Analysis'', 2004-11-09, accessed on 2007-03-18
archived version
/ref> Opinion polls prior to the vote suggested support of between 56 and 65% of voters.

Question

Results

References

{{Yugoslavian independence referendums Autonomy referendums

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

Autonomy referendum 2004 referendums November 2004 events in Europe