Simple directory > Regional > Macedonia

Country : Macedonia Official name: Republika Makedonija (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) (FYROM) Head of State: President Branko Crvenkovski (sworn in 12 May 2004) Head of government: Prime Minister-designate Vlado Buckovski (from 18 Nov 2004) Ruling party: Za Makedonija Zaedno (For Macedonia Together) multi-ethnic 10-member coalition led by the Socijaldemockratski Sojuz na Makedonija (SDSM) (Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia) (from 1 Nov 2002; re-shuffled May 2004) Area: 25,713 square km Population: 2.13 million (2004) Capital: Skopje Official language: Macedonian and Albanian. Currency: Macedonian dinar (Md) Exchange rate: Md48.33 per US$ (Nov 2004) (pegged to the euro; trades around Md60 per euro) GDP per capita: US$1,900 (2003) GDP real growth: 3.00% (2003) Labour force: 1.10 million (2003) Unemployment: 37.00% (2003) Inflation: 2.50% (2003) Balance of trade: -US$966.00 million (2003) Foreign debt: US$1.30 billion (2003)

Historical profile

Macedonia has been occupied by the Greeks, Romans, Bulgarians, Byzantines, Serbs and the Ottoman Turks.

1371 The Ottoman Turks conquered the area and retained control until the nineteenth century.

1893 The Vnatrešno-Makedonska Revoluciona Organizacija (VMRO) (Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation) was founded to gain independence from the Ottoman Empire.

1912–13 During the Balkan conflicts, the Turks were driven out and the area was divided between Serbia and Greece, with a small section being retained by Bulgaria.

1918 Macedonia became part of the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes along with parts of Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia, parts of Dalmatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slavonia and Slovenia.

1929 The Kingdom was renamed Yugoslavia.

1941–45 Macedonia was occupied by Bulgaria, under German direction. The Partisans, led by Josip Broz Tito -- also leader of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY) -- eventually liberated the whole of Yugoslavia.

1945 Following the end of the Second World War, Macedonia became one of the constituent republics of a federated Yugoslavia. Tito assumed power and a Soviet-style constitution was adopted. The other republics were Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Serbia and the two autonomous regions of Vojvodina and Kosovo.

1953 Constitutions adopted in 1953, 1963 and 1974 increased the autonomy extended to the constituent republics.

1990 Following the collapse of communism in Yugoslavia, Macedonia held its first multi-party elections and the VMRO became the largest party in parliament.

1991 The first multi-party National Assembly was officially constituted. After a referendum in which the people voted overwhelmingly in favour of Macedonian sovereignty and independence, Macedonia declared its independence.

1992 Kiro Gligorov, the former communist leader, was elected president.

1993 Greece showed consternation over Macedonia's choice of name and flag which the Greek government argued were a claim on its northern province of Macedonia. To accommodate Greek concerns, Macedonia eventually agreed to join the UN with the temporary prefix of 'Former Yugoslav Republic' and an alternative national flag design was introduced.

1994 Kiro Gligorov was re-elected president.

1995 An accord resulting in a normalisation of relations between Greece and Macedonia ensured that Macedonians had access to the northern Greek port of Thessaloniki, their nearest outlet to the sea.

1998 A coalition government under the leadership of Ljubco Georgievski was formed after elections.

1999 Amid accusations of electoral irregularities from the opposition, Boris Trajkovski of the Vnatrešno-Makedonska Revoluciona Organizacija-Demokratska Partija za Makedonsko Nacionalno Edintsvo (VMRO-DPMNE) (Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity) was elected president.

2000 A coalition government was formed and led by Prime Minister Georgievski.

2001 There were clashes between ethnic Albanian guerrillas and police in Tetovo and other parts of Macedonia. A cease-fire was brokered and a NATO force was sent to Macedonia to supervise the collection of arms handed in by ethnic Albanian rebels. The Ohrid Agreement was signed in August, paving the way for political reforms to enhance the status of the ethnic Albanian population within Macedonia.

2002 After parliamentary elections, the Socijaldemockratski Sojuz na Makedonija (SDSM) (Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia) leader, Branko Crvenkovski, became prime minister, heading a multi-ethnic 10-member coalition government.

2003 The EU took over NATO's military mission in Macedonia in March to oversee implementation of the Ohrid Agreement. On 4 April, Macedonia joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

2004 President Boris Trajkovski died in a plane crash on 26 February; Parliament Speaker Ljupco Jordanovski became acting president. On 22 March, Macedonia submitted its application to join the EU. In the first round of presidential elections on 14 April, Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski won 42.9 per cent of the vote; Branko Crvenkovski went on to win the second round on 28 April and was sworn in as president on 12 May. On 14 May, he asked Hari Kostov to form a new government. In November, an opposition-backed referendum designed to repeal the laws giving minority Albanians in Macedonia greater autonomy, failed after a low turnout; Prime Minister Hari Kostov resigned as a result of disputes within the ruling coalition and on 26 November, Vlado Buckovski was named as prime minister.

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