Macedonia might be stuck outside of the EU and NATO after its people refused to change the country's name

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Supporters of the movement to boycott the referendum vote celebrate in the street after election officials announced low voter turnout figures on September 30, 2018 in Skopje, Macedonia.

• Macedonia was on the cusp of changing its name to North Macedonia - but a referendum on the issue failed to pass because of low turnout.
• It means the country could keep its current name, which is a source of contention with its neighbor Greece.
• The spat means that Greece has blocked Macedonia's past attempts to join the European Union and NATO.
• The government is now trying to force a name change anyway with a 2/3 majority vote in parliament. 

Macedonians have rejected an attempt to change the name of the nation to North Macedonia, which could mean that their nation is stuck outside the regional power blocs of NATO and the European Union.

A referendum over the weekend on the proposed change failed because too few people voted. Although the result was 90% in favor of the change, the low turnout of 35% means that the result doesn't count.

The name change was an attempt by the government to break a diplomatic logjam with Greece, which has its own region called Macedonia and objects to its northern neighbor using the name.

Google Maps

Macedonia on a map, which is north of Greece.

As a result, the Greek authorities have repeatedly voted down Macedonian attempts to join both NATO and the EU, which has had a negative impact on the country's security and economy.

The dispute goes back to ancient times. Greece objects to Macedonia claiming elements of regional heritage including its association with Alexander the Great, who founded the Macedonian Empire around 300 BC.

Although the kingdom called itself Macedonia, its capital was in modern-day Greece.

Reuters

Protesters take part in a rally against the use of the term "Macedonia" in any solution to a dispute between Athens and Skopje over the former Yugoslav republic's name, in the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece, January 21, 2018.

The Greek government has said that if the country swaps its name to Northern Macedonia, it will stop blocking its NATO and EU accessions.

Greece's objection means that the UN refers to the new country as "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" after it declared independence when Yugoslavia collapsed in 1991.

Greece vetoed Macedonia's attempt to join NATO in 2008, and have also blocked its EU membership ambitions.

Sunday's vote was only an advisory referendum, which means Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev's government can still try to get his parliament to vote through the changes CBS reported.

For this he needs two thirds of MPs to support him. Zaev threatened to call early elections if he can't pass the change, the BBC reported. 

Zaev also told Agence France-Presse that despite the turnout: "More than 90% of the total votes are 'Yes', so now it is parliament's turn to confirm the will of the majority."

"I am determined to take Macedonia into the EU and NATO. It is time to support European Macedonia."

Many western politicians also in favor a yes vote. They include U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Stoltenberg tweeted he welcomed the yes-vote on Sunday.