Referendum

Only a couple of days remain until Sunday's referendum in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia regarding the so-called Prespes agreement. In my opinion, the results of a recent poll by Market Vision and the stance of the country's political leadership give rise to three important points:

The president of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) has called on voters to boycott Sunday's referendum on the name deal with Greece, saying its was "harmful and defeating" to the Balkan nation.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Skopje Monday to back a 'yes' vote at this month's referendum on Macedonia's name change and counter what he called "Russian influence" against the move.

A formal call for a referendum in Macedonia, backed by the MPs from the ruling majority, but also possibly by some opposition MPs, is to be formally handed on Monday to the speaker of parliament, Talat Xhaferi, who is expected to put it to vote at a plenary session.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) has said he is "very sure" his country will vote for a name change in a referendum later this year.

"Polls show that more than 75 percent of our citizens are in favor of NATO and European Union [membership]," Zaev told the BBC in an interview.

A socially conservative civic initiative in Croatia, "The People Decide", which is campaigning for changes to Croatian election law, on Wednesday submitted its request for a referendum, "For a fairer electoral system", to the Croatian parliament. 

Popular Bulgarian TV host Slavi Trifonov announced on Thursday that a host of would-be politicians would be interviewed on February 2, 3, 4 and then broadcast online, so that Bulgaria citizens can be more "objectively informed".

The think tank of the former British prime minister, and former adviser to the Serbian government, said in a report entitled, "European Populism: Trends, Threats, and Future Prospects," that "populist parties" are rising to power, especially in Eastern Europe, and mentioned Serbia in this context.

The municipal authorities of Myconos are collecting signatures to conduct a referendum on the popular Cycladic resort island against the creation of a casino.

The parliament in Bosnia's Serb-majority entity, Republika Srpska, will hold a special session on Monday on shelving an earlier decision to hold a referendum on the powers of Bosnia's state-level judiciary.