Macedonia's turnout in name referendum unlikely to reach 50 percent threshold

Turnout in Macedonia's referendum on whether to change the country's name to resolve a dispute with Greece will be below the 50 per cent threshold needed to make the vote valid, a ruling party official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Turnout in Macedonia's referendum on whether to change the country's name to resolve a dispute with Greece will be below the 50 per cent threshold needed to make the vote valid, a ruling party official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Macedonia's pro-Western government has urged the public to back the name change to the Republic of North Macedonia, to resolve a decades-old dispute with Greece which had blocked Macedonia's membership bids for the European Union and NATO. Opponents of the change had called for a boycott of the vote.

"It is clear now that it (turnout) is unlikely to reach the threshold of 50 pct," the official told Reuters. The State Election Commision said turnout as of 6.30 pm was 34 per cent.