The Ohrid Agreement: the Travails of Inter-Ethnic Relations in Macedonia, by Armend Reka
1.1 Introduction
The article talks about the most important changes in Republic of Macedonia in connection with the Framework Agreement, better known as the Ohrid Agreement. Internal political instability in Macedonia led to conflicts between Albanian armed groups and government forces. The Framework Ohrid Agreement saved the state from the brink of civil war. It effected decentralization of the country by increasing the rights of minorities and giving more power to local authorities. However, challenges remain; the perception and language gap between the two main ethnic communities hinder efforts for a truly functioning multi-ethnic state.
My hypothesis for the analysis is that the Ohrid Agreement, which was adopted under pressure of the international community at the time of the armed inter-ethnic conflicts, has made the basis for the stabilization of political authority and strenghtened the democracy.
1.2 Summary
The Constitutional Status of Minorities: Who Owns the State?
The dynamic of the Macedonian-Albanian relationship has been especially amplified since Macedonia 's independence in 1991. Albanian representatives in the National Assembly boycotted the vote and the Albanian population did not vote in the referendum on Macedonia 's independence. The root cause of the arisen situation is the adoption of the 1991 Constitution of the Macedonian state, which denied the non-majority communities equal status. The Preamble to the 1991 Constitution establishes Macedonia as a National state of the Macedonian people, which guarantees the full civic equality and permanent coexistence of the Macedonian people with the Albanians, Turks, Vlachs, Roma and the other nationalities. So, symbolically this means a classification of peoples into three categories: the Macedonians as the primary bearers of the right to the state, the members of the mentioned minorities as peoples with equal rights but not being the primary claimants to the right to the state, and the
The article talks about the most important changes in Republic of Macedonia in connection with the Framework Agreement, better known as the Ohrid Agreement. Internal political instability in Macedonia led to conflicts between Albanian armed groups and government forces. The Framework Ohrid Agreement saved the state from the brink of civil war. It effected decentralization of the country by increasing the rights of minorities and giving more power to local authorities. However, challenges remain; the perception and language gap between the two main ethnic communities hinder efforts for a truly functioning multi-ethnic state.
My hypothesis for the analysis is that the Ohrid Agreement, which was adopted under pressure of the international community at the time of the armed inter-ethnic conflicts, has made the basis for the stabilization of political authority and strenghtened the democracy.
1.2 Summary
The Constitutional Status of Minorities: Who Owns the State?
The dynamic of the Macedonian-Albanian relationship has been especially amplified since Macedonia 's independence in 1991. Albanian representatives in the National Assembly boycotted the vote and the Albanian population did not vote in the referendum on Macedonia 's independence. The root cause of the arisen situation is the adoption of the 1991 Constitution of the Macedonian state, which denied the non-majority communities equal status. The Preamble to the 1991 Constitution establishes Macedonia as a National state of the Macedonian people, which guarantees the full civic equality and permanent coexistence of the Macedonian people with the Albanians, Turks, Vlachs, Roma and the other nationalities. So, symbolically this means a classification of peoples into three categories: the Macedonians as the primary bearers of the right to the state, the members of the mentioned minorities as peoples with equal rights but not being the primary claimants to the right to the state, and the
References: Reka, Armend. 2008. The Ohrid Agreement: The Travails of Inter-ethnic Relations in Macedonia. Human Rights Review 9, 55–69.