THE OHRID FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT: A STRATEGIC TOOL FOR ELECTORAL PARTY COMPETITION IN MACEDONIA

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Published: Aug 1, 2020
Keywords:
Ohrid Framework Agreement, nationalism, minorities, ethnic parties, party competition

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Josipa Rizankoska
University of Siena, Italy
Jasmina Trajkoska
FON University, Republic of Macedonia

Abstract

The myth that the Ohrid Framework Agreement (OFA) can be the ‘cure’ for fragile heterogeneous societies has been debunked shortly before its 10th anniversary. The general research question of this article is how political parties in Macedonia assess the role of the OFA in building functioning multiethnic society, while the specific puzzle is what accounts for the radicalism of the nationalistic rhetoric of the political parties in Macedonia? We argue that the assessment of the success of the OFA implementation would depend on the parties’ position of power and the type of ethnic community (the majority, majority-minority or non-majority minority). We find the bad economic situation and the exclusion from the government to be the most perceived radicalizers of nationalistic party rhetoric in Macedonia. This case study uses qualitative analyses of thirty semi-structured interviews with high representatives of the 26 most important political parties in Macedonia.

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How to Cite
Rizankoska, Josipa, and Jasmina Trajkoska. 2020. “THE OHRID FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT: A STRATEGIC TOOL FOR ELECTORAL PARTY COMPETITION IN MACEDONIA”. Journal of Liberty and International Affairs 2 (1):9-26. https://e-jlia.com/index.php/jlia/article/view/57.
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Vol. 2 No. 1 (2016): Journal of Liberty and International Affairs
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Articles
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Author Biographies

Josipa Rizankoska, University of Siena, Italy

Josipa Rizankoska graduated from the Department of Political Science at the Law Faculty Iustinianus Primus, University of S.s. Cyril and Methodius - Skopje, in November 2007. From April 2007 until March 2012 she was engaged as Researcher and Project Manager at the Institute for Democracy 'Societas Civilis'- Skopje (IDSCS). She holds MA degree in Interdisciplinary Research and Studies in Eastern Europe-MIREES from Bologna University with Major in International Relations. Her MA thesis topic was ethno-minorities' parties in Macedonia and Slovakia. She is currently a PhD Candidate in European and Comparative Politics at University of Siena-Italy. The field of her doctoral thesis is the ethno-national minorities' parties in Central and Eastern Europe. She has published in the European Union Foreign Affairs Journal, the Ethnopolitics Journal, the Political Thought Journal, and the Central European University Journal.

Jasmina Trajkoska, FON University, Republic of Macedonia

Jasmina Trajkoska holds BA in Diplomacy and International Politics graduated from FON-University, Skopje. In 2007 she starts working on her MA research on topic 'Diplomatic methods of interethnic conflict solution in Yugoslavia', and defends it in 2010. Since May 2007 she works as Personal Assistant of the President of the Board on FON-University. Since November 2010 she works as Teaching Assistant at the Faculty of Political Sciences, Diplomacy and Journalism at FON University. She teaches Diplomatic Negotiations, Foreign Policy, International Relations, Diplomatic protocol, Political System, and Comparative Political Systems. She is a PhD Candidate at the University Ss. Cyril and Methodius - Skopje. Her PhD research topic is 'Interethnic conflicts in European Union today, and economic consequences of those'.