Turnout in FYROM referendum at 34 percent shortly before polls closed

Turnout in the name change referendum in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) stood at 34 percent just before polls closed.

Reports said supporters of a boycott were celebrating in Skopje, capital of FYROM.

Citizens in FYROM were voting on whether to accept a government agreement with Greece to end a dispute dating from the early 1990s, when the country declared independence from Yugoslavia. Greece argued that its small neighbor’s name implied territorial ambitions on its own Macedonia province and blocked the country’s NATO membership ambitions.

The deal has faced vocal opposition on both sides of the border, with detractors accusing their respective governments of conceding too much to the other side.