Macedonia - Republic of Macedonia
Country Profile
Macedonia officially the Republic of Macedonia is a land-locked country located in the Central Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe.
Macedonia, together with Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo , belonged to the less developed southern region of the former Yugoslavia.
Capital:Skopje
Official Language: Macedonian
Ethnic Groups:Macedonian65%;Albanian24%;Turkish3%;Roma4% and Others4%
Population - 2 Million (2009 Estimate)
Currency - Macedonian Dinar(MKD)
Religion -65% Christians and 33% Muslims( has the fourth-highest proportion of Muslims in Europe, after those of Kosovo (90%), Albania(82%), and Bosnia-Herzegovina (48%))
Name Dispute with Greece
After the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, the name of Macedonia became the object of a dispute between Greece and the newly independent Republic of Macedonia.The UN has set up a negotiating process with a mediator, Mathew Nimetz (a US Diplomat who served as President Bill clinton's Special Envoy to mediate the resolution of the Macedonia naming dispute)and the two disputed parties, Macedonia and Greece, to try to mediate the dispute. Negotiations continue between the two sides but have yet to reach any settlement of the dispute
From 1992 to 1995, the two countries also engaged in a dispute over the Macedonian state's first flag, which incorporated the Vergina Sun Symbol, a symbol associated with the ancient Kingdom of Macedon . This aspect of the dispute was resolved when the flag was changed under the terms of an interim accord agreed between the two states in October 1995.
The country's main political divergence is between the largely ethnically based political parties representing the country's ethnic Macedonian majority and Albanian minority.
The issue of the power balance between the two communities led to a brief war in 2001, following which a power-sharing agreement was reached. In August 2004, Macedonia's parliament passed legislation redrawing local boundaries and giving greater local autonomy to ethnic Albanians in areas where they predominate.
Flag of Macedonia
Government
Macedonia is a Parliamentary Democracy with an executive govt composed of a coalition of parties from the Unicameral Parliament(Sobranie)
The role of the President of the Republic is mostly ceremonial and elected every five years and he or she can be elected twice at most. According to the electoral law, the president is elected if he wins the votes of the majority of the registered voters in the first round; or, simple majority of the votes in the second round, in which the turnout must be over 40% of the registered voters.2009Macedonian Presidential Election - March 22,2009
A presidential election was held in the Republiic of Macedonia at the same time as local elections; a run-off round was held on 5 April 2009.
Gjorge Ivanov, the candidate of the Center-Right VMRO-DPMNE Party, won the election in the second round securing 63 % Votes
and
defeated Ljubomir Danailov Frčkoski(SDSM Party) who got only 37% Votes.
The incumbent President Branko Crvenkovski did not stand for re-election
President of the Republic of Macedonia
Dr. Gjorge Ivanov is the current President of the Republic of Macedonia in office from May 12,2009.The role of the President of the Republic is mostly ceremonial, with the real power resting in the hands of the President of the Government. The President is the commander-in-chief of the state armed forces and a president of the state Security Council. The President is elected every 5 years and can be elected twice at most.
Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia
The Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia , the Assembly (Sobranie) has 123 members, elected for a 4 year term, by proportional representation from 6 electoral districts, each contributing 20 MPs.
2011Macedonian Parliamentary Election - June 5,2011
The election was held on June 5,2011 a year earlier than necessary.(was due in mid-2012).The decision of the ruling parties, the Christian Democratic VMRO-DPMNE and the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), to dissolve the Parliament and call for an early election was preceded by protests of the Social Democratic Union(SDSM), the major opposition party, and subsequent boycott of the Parliament by them, and by other smaller opposition parties.
All 123 parliamentary seats of the Sobranie were due for election, including the 3 seats provided for the first time for representatives of the Macedonian citizens living abroad: 1 from Europe,1 from North America, and 1 from Asia and Australia.
18 parties and coalitions submitted their candidate lists with 1,679 candidates in total. 1,821,122 registered voters can cast their ballots in 2,976 polling stations .The parties, coalitions and independent candidates have to submit candidate lists until 5 May 2011. Separate lists are submitted for each or any electoral districts.SDSM have stated they will nominate Radmila Sekerinska as PM if they win the elections.
The result of the elections was that VMRO-DPMNE Coalition secured 56 seats polling 39% Votes (their third electoral victory in a row - 2006,2008 & 2011)
and opposition coalition led by SDSM conceded the defeat as it secured only 42 seats polling 33% Votes
DUI secured 15 seats polling 10% Votes.
Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia
Nikola Gruevski(leader of conservative party VMRO-DPMNE) is the current PM in office from Aug 27,2006(3rd term in succession - winning 2006,2008 & 2011 Parliamentary Elections)
.
Macedonia Carnival
The most popular Carnivals in the Republic of Macedonia are held in Vevcani and Strumica
The Vevčani Carnival takes place on 13 and 14 January (New Year's Eve and New Year's Day by the old calendar). During the Carnival, the village becomes a live theatre where costumed actors improvise on the streets in roles such as the traditional "August the Stupid."
The Strumica Carnival opens on a Saturday night at a masked ball where the Prince and Princess are chosen; the main Carnival night is on Tuesday, when masked participants (including groups from abroad) compete in various subjects.
Vevčani Carnival 2012
The January 13,2012 Vevcani festival prompted angry, sometimes violent demonstrations by Muslims, who are nearly all ethnic Albanian and make up 33% of the country's 2.1 million population and accuse the majority of stoking hatred against them.
The Vevcani carnival, said to have been held for some 1,400 years, attracts thousands of visitors. Local residents traditionally wear elaborate, frequently sarcastic masks, with some of the most common costumes including devils and demons.
But this year's perceived mockery of the Koran and the burka costumes caused outrage.
Macedonian Muslim leaders called for restraint but also accused the government of promoting Islamophobia.
Strumica Carnival 2012
This year's Carnival kicked off late on Saturday Feb 25,2012 with a 3,000-strong masquerade. During a three-hour carnival program, masked participants paraded the town streets and the square, in the attendance of representatives of the International Carnival Cities Association and the diplomatic corps in Macedonia.
Over 30,000 guests witnessed the unforgettable image of colors, sounds and creations, followed by all-night parties in Strumica clubs.
The awards to the best masks will be presented on Tuesday Feb 28,2012.
A woman dances in a carnival procession in Macedonia`s southeastern town of Strumica
A group of young men and women dressed as sailors perform during a carnival procession in Macedonia`s southeastern town of Strumica.
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