2002 Census, Blurring the ethnic makeup
Friday, 14 August 2009
There is an increased discussion today of the validity of the 2002 Macedonian census. The 7 year old census was done under questionable circumstances, a year after NATO/EU pressured Macedonia to sign the Framework Agreement which put an end to the 2001 fighting.
The Framework agreement called for giving rights to minorities who comprise 25% of the population.
The census numbers itself were delayed for weeks. Normally they are released the following day. The validity of the census was questioned even more after the numbers were released, though without the information for the ethnic makeup of the population.
When the ethnic makeup percentage was finally released the man in charge of the State Electoral Commission, Zoran Krstevski quickly resigned, while the director of the SEC Blagica Novkovska was fired.
- Indeed I resigned. I didn’t resign for political reasons, but because the census numbers were flawed, says Krstevski seven years later.
Census numbers
From the 2002 census, Macedonia has a total of 2.02 million. 64.18% are Macedonians, 25.17% are Albanians, 3.85% Turks, 2.66 Roma etc.
According to the 2002 census, since 1994, each year until 02’ ethnic Albanians had had 68,000 children annually, while ethnic Macedonians had only 250 ?!
Most Macedonian media saw the census as fixed by the international community to satisfy the Framework Agreement relaying that the maximum number of Albanians is projected at 17-18% of the population.
Election Numbers
During 2008/09 elections, the EU as well as Macedonian and ironically enough Albanian political parties admitted major faults with the number of registered voters.
Macedonia has 503,962 children. Therefore, according to the 2002 census, there should be 1.541.215 registered voters. However, there are 1.792.867 voters, thus creating a difference of 250,867 voters who are extra. Where do this 250,867 people fit?
The answer lies in the next census scheduled for 2011, of course if in meantime there isn’t a call for a new Framework agreement.
Friday, 14 August 2009
There is an increased discussion today of the validity of the 2002 Macedonian census. The 7 year old census was done under questionable circumstances, a year after NATO/EU pressured Macedonia to sign the Framework Agreement which put an end to the 2001 fighting.
The Framework agreement called for giving rights to minorities who comprise 25% of the population.
The census numbers itself were delayed for weeks. Normally they are released the following day. The validity of the census was questioned even more after the numbers were released, though without the information for the ethnic makeup of the population.
When the ethnic makeup percentage was finally released the man in charge of the State Electoral Commission, Zoran Krstevski quickly resigned, while the director of the SEC Blagica Novkovska was fired.
- Indeed I resigned. I didn’t resign for political reasons, but because the census numbers were flawed, says Krstevski seven years later.
Census numbers
From the 2002 census, Macedonia has a total of 2.02 million. 64.18% are Macedonians, 25.17% are Albanians, 3.85% Turks, 2.66 Roma etc.
According to the 2002 census, since 1994, each year until 02’ ethnic Albanians had had 68,000 children annually, while ethnic Macedonians had only 250 ?!
Most Macedonian media saw the census as fixed by the international community to satisfy the Framework Agreement relaying that the maximum number of Albanians is projected at 17-18% of the population.
Election Numbers
During 2008/09 elections, the EU as well as Macedonian and ironically enough Albanian political parties admitted major faults with the number of registered voters.
Macedonia has 503,962 children. Therefore, according to the 2002 census, there should be 1.541.215 registered voters. However, there are 1.792.867 voters, thus creating a difference of 250,867 voters who are extra. Where do this 250,867 people fit?
The answer lies in the next census scheduled for 2011, of course if in meantime there isn’t a call for a new Framework agreement.
We need to get to the bottom of this.
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