World Macedonian Congress

The World Macedonian Congress (shortened as WMC or SMK; Macedonian: Светски македонски конгрес; Svetski makedonski kongres) is a non-formal parliament of the ethnic Macedonians.[2] It presents itself as an organization fighting and demanding for more human rights to ethnic Macedonians on an international level,[3] but is seen as an ultranationalist organization, supporting the controversial antiquization, by independent researchers and media.[4][5][6][7][8][9] It is officially registered as a non-governmental organization based in North Macedonia.[10] The organization was registered during the fall of communism, on 15 September 1990 by Todor Petrov, who is also the president of the organization.[11][12][13] Closely related to the World Macedonian Congress are certain Macedonian organizations in the neighboring countries of North Macedonia from whom with larger importance, the Macedonian Party in Albania,[14][15][16] the OMO Ilinden in Bulgaria,[17] and the Democratic Party of the Macedonians in Kosovo founded by the organization’s member Ismail Boyda.[18][19]

World Macedonian Congress
Светски Македонски Конгрес
AbbreviationWMC
Formation15 September 1990
TypeNationalism
HeadquartersSkopje, North Macedonia
Location
  • Worldwide
Chairman
Todor Petrov
Honourable Presidents
Gjorgjija Atanasoski
Zan Mitrev[1]
Vice-Presidents
Ismail Bojda
Borce Stefanovski
Vangel Božinovski[1]
Main organ
General Assembly[2]
Websitewww.smk.mk

History

Foundation

The World Macedonian Congress was the second of the two international lobby organizations or World Macedonian Congresses established in the Republic of North Macedonia with the disintegration of former Yugoslavia. It was created as a rival to the first World Macedonian Congress (created by John Bitove, Sr., a Canadian-Macedonian businessman with the encouragement of the first president of the Republic of Macedonia, Kiro Gligorov) by the opposition (VMRO-DPMNE) politician Todor Petrov and current president of the Congress. Petrov claimed the Congress was created partly to replace the "Institute for the Macedonian Diaspora", which had been discredited through its past association with the Yugoslavian secret service.[20] The president of the World Macedonian Congress is Todor Petrov. He has been re-elected several times as president of World Macedonian Congress, last time in 2012 and his mandate expires in 2016. His deputies are: Ismail Bojda, Borce Stefanovski, Vangel Bozinovski, Frosina Tashevski-Remenski[21][22]

The organization claims ideological descent from one offshoot of the Macedonian Secret Revolutionary Committee, founded by Georgi Kapchev in Geneva, which send a call to convene an International Congress, which to solve the Macedonian Question in January 1899.[23] This idea is disputed by Bulgarian historians on the grounds that Kapchev was Bulgarian journalist and lawyer.[24][25]

2004 referendum

In 2004, Todor Petrov and World Macedonian Congress initiated 2004 referendum against changes of administrative divisions. According to the government proposal of municipal border, which would decrease the percentage of Macedonians, and transform Struga and Kicevo into Albanians dominated cities, as well as make Albanian to be official language in capital Skopje.[26] Prior to the vote, a Macedonian newspaper carried a story suggesting that if the referendum succeeded, Albanian militants had planned to blow up a pipeline carrying water to the capital Skopje.[27] Just a day before the referendum, the U.S. recognized the Republic of Macedonia under its constitutional name, therefore trying to change the public opinion and putting pressure.[28] Although 95% voted in favor of the change, the voter turnout of 27% was well below the 50% threshold, and the referendum was unsuccessful.[29][30]

gollark: Exactly.
gollark: But things are, on the whole, mostly okay. I mean, except now during the whole COVID-19 thing.
gollark: I mean, it's bad, yes.
gollark: That is what I said.
gollark: Seems fine.

See also

References
  1. "Дневник". www.dnevnik.com.mk. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  2. The official "Statute of the World Macedonian Congress" (28.03.1998)
  3. The official "Statute of the World Macedonian Congress" (28.03.1998)
  4. The State of Local Democracy in the Western Balkans. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. 2007. p. 130. ISBN 9289503912. The World Macedonian Congress (an ultra nationalist political formation).
  5. Hughes, James (2013). EU Conflict Management (Association for the Study of Nationalities). Routledge. p. 86. The World Macedonian Congress, a nationalist pan-Macedonian diaspora organization.
  6. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, The radical right in Macedonia, Zdravko Saveski, Artan Sadiku, December 2012, ISBN 978-3-86498-439-6, 6p. 1.
  7. "...Todor Petrov, the chairman of the so-called "World Macedonian Congress", an ultranationalist Macedonian NGO"
    Novinite.com - Skopje's Latest Propaganda Perversion Invents 'Macedonian Majority' in Bulgaria
  8. Okno.MK - Mapping of Macedonian nationalism.
  9. Macedonian Nationalism in the Future, Borche Pechigulevski, Hamipress, 1994, Skopje
  10. Official website of the World Macedonian Congress - About
  11. Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Macedonia, Dimitar Bechev, Scarecrow Press, 2009, ISBN 0810862956, p. 238.
  12. The Macedonian conflict: ethnic nationalism in a transnational world, Princeton University Press, ISBN 0691043566, 1995, p. 101
  13. The Australian People: An Encyclopedia of the Nation, James Jupp, Cambridge University Press, 2001, ISBN 0521807891, p. 573.
  14. Utrinski vesnik - First congress of the Macedonian party in Albania. (26.04.2009)
  15. Makedonska nacija - Macedonian party in Albania. (17.04.2011)
  16. Makedonium - Second Congress of the Macedonian party in Albania. (09.04.2013)
  17. Vecer - Bulgaria must register OMO Ilinden Pirin article describing the cooperating between the WMC and OMO Ilinden - Pirin
  18. The Macedonians of Kosovo have formed a party. - Bukvar MK (in Macedonian)
  19. Macedonians in Kosovo - Sitel TV (in Macedonian)
  20. James Jupp, The Australian People; An Encyclopedia of the Nation, its People and their Origins, ch. "Macedonians", Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 572
  21. "World Macedonian Congress". www.telma.com.mk. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  22. "Утрински весник". www.utrinski.com.mk. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  23. The program of Kapchev contained 12 items and was a revision of the program of reforms made by the Supreme Macedonian-Adrianople Committee in 1896. According to it, Macedonia and Eastern Thrace should to form an autonomous region into the Ottoman Empire with its own legislative and executive powers and presumed that Bulgarian language, ought to be used there as official one. "Istoricheski pregled," Volume 48, Issues 7–12, Bŭlgarsko istorichesko druzhestvo, Institut za istoria (Bulgarian Academy of sciences) Bŭlgarsko istorichesko druzhestvo, 1992, pp. 106-108.
  24. Централният македонски комитет на Георги Капчев (1898 - 1899), в: Елдъров, Светлозар. Върховният македоно-одрински комитет и македоно-одринската организация в България (1895 - 1903), Иврай, 2003, стр. 241 - 268.
  25. Нова организация с познати идеи. По повод решенията на X-то юбилейно генерално събрание на Световния македонски конгрес. Анализи, прогнози, документи. Бюлетин на Македонски научен институт, 2001, № 1, с. 21–29;39.16.
  26. TV Sitel (In Macedonian)
  27. "What Fear Motivated the West's Anti-Referendum Hysteria?", Balkan Analysis, 2004-11-09, accessed on 2007-03-18
  28. Economist 2004
  29. Election Profile IFES
  30. Results IFES
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