СЕВЕРНА МАКЕДОНИЈА « SEVERNA MAKEDONIJA »
— Also: Maqedonia e Veriut.
— Officially: Република Северна Македонија « Republika Severna Makedonija »; Republika e Maqedonisė sė Veriut.
— English: North Macedonia.
— Seat of government: Скопје « Skopje ».
— Status: Democratic.
— Structure: Government is led by a prime minister chosen by parliament (Собрание « Sobranie »), elected in geographical constituencies, modified with proportional representation. The president, largely ceremonial, is directly elected.
— Governing parties: Социјалдемократски Сојуз на Македонија « Socijaldemokratski Sojuz na Makedonija »; Bashkimi Demokratike pėr Integrim; Aleanca pėr Shqiptarėt; supported from outside by Lėvizja Besa.
— Heads of government: Зоран Заев « Zoran Zaev », СДСМ « SDSM », prime minister (since 2017); Ѓорге Иванов « Ǵorge Ivanov », president.
— Parliamentary parties: Внатрешната Македонска Револуционерна Организација – Демократска Партија за Македонско Национално Единство « Vnatrešnata Makedonska Revolucionerna Organizacija – Demokratska Partija za Makedonsko Nacionalno Edinstvo » coalition; Социјалдемократски Сојуз на Македонија « Socijaldemokratski Sojuz na Makedonija » coalition; Bashkimi Demokratike pėr Integrim; Lėvizja Besa; Aleanca pėr Shqiptarėt; Partia Demokratike Shqiptare.
— Assessment: The state has spent much of its independence blocked from participating fully in international organizations, and has had its development stunted, due to a dispute with Ελλάδα « Ellada » over its name, formerly just ‘Република Македонија’ « Republika Makedonija »; Ελλάδα « Ellada » has shown no willingness to qualify the name of its own province of Μακεδονία « Makedonia », so the dispute was less about principle and more about intransigence and nationalism in Ελλάδα « Ellada ». After a civil war with Shqiptar separatists in 2001, coalitions have generally included Shqiptar representatives. Бранко Црвенковски « Branko Crvenkovski » (1992-8, 2002-4), prime minister in the first of those coalitions, was elected president in 2004, with Хари Костов « Xari Kostov » succeeding him as prime minister. Костов « Kostov » resigned later that year; his successor was Владо Бучковски « Vlado Bučkovski » (2004-6). A general election in 2006 saw the nationalist ВМРО-ДПМНЕ « VMRO-DPMNE » finish first, but without obvious coalition partners; Никола Груевски « Nikola Gruevski » (2006-16) became prime minister. ВМРО-ДПМНЕ « VMRO-DPMNE » called an early election in 2008, in which its coalition won an absolute majority of seats, and formed a government with BDI. A presidential election in 2009 to replace Црвенковски « Crvenkovski » was won by conservative Иванов « Ivanov ». In 2011 elections, there was a shift towards СДСМ « SDSM », but ВМРО-ДПМНЕ « VMRO-DPMNE » and BDI still had a majority. The same coalition won yet another term in 2014. Protests in 2015 against the government eventually led to an agreement for a national-unity, technocratic administration, headed by Емил Димитриев « Emil Dimitriev » (2016-7) of ВМРО-ДПМНЕ « VMRO-DPMNE ». In 2016, both previous government parties suffered losses, in the case of BDI owing to a big split in the Shqiptar vote; ВМРО-ДПМНЕ « VMRO-DPMNE » finished with a slight plurality ahead of СДСМ « SDSM ». СДСМ « SDSM » formed a coalition with Shqiptar support on a platform of minority rights (particularly concerning official status for Shqip), but Иванов « Ivanov » initially refused to acknowledge the coalition on Slav-nationalist grounds. A 2018 deal with Ελλάδα « Ellada » over the state’s name has been passed by parliament and implemented by all parties.
— FH: 3-3, partly free (democratic). Econ: 6.21 (72), flawed democracy.
— Updated: 2019 November 11.
 

O.T. FORD