28 Sep 2018; DW: Risto Mijakovski sits in a tent in the small park opposite the Macedonian parliament building in the capital Skopje. A painter by trade, Mijakovski is a member of the #Bojkotiram (Boycott) movement which wants to preserve the Republic of Macedonia.
"By changing our name they want to completely erase the Macedonian nation. We are losing our identity, our language, everything," he tells DW.
The debate over what to call the country has been simmering since independence in 1991. Now, it has reached boiling point. Citizens in one of Europe's youngest countries are set to vote on renaming the former Yugoslav republic "North Macedonia."
Recent polls suggest that the majority of Macedonians plan to support the change. But a growing numbers of voters, like Risto Mijakovski, are trying to undermine the procedure by boycotting the referendum. They hope that if the required 50 percent turnout is not met, the vote would be declared invalid.
Macedonia name change could be a game changer
Matters of national identity and interest are at stake as Macedonians vote in a highly divisive referendum on what to call their country. Membership of NATO and the EU could hinge on the result.
Greece and Macedonia signed a deal in June this year, in an effort to end the stalemate over a northern Greek province with the same name. Macedonia's prime minister agreed to the change to North Macedonia. In return, his Greek counterpart promised to stop vetoing Macedonian membership of NATO and the EU.
If the electorate decides to add the geographic qualifier to their current name, it would open the door to the international community. If they don't, the consequences for one the poorest countries in Europe could be devastating.
