Jovan Dzalev, one of the initiators of the Referendum in Dojran and part of the initiative “Save Dojran”, speaks in front of the cameras of CIVIL Media about the course of the Referendum, about the uncertainty concerning the results until the very end, about the pressures conducted yesterday – in order not to achieve the necessary census, and also about the upcoming referendum in Valandovo. 

CIVIL Media: The Referendum in Dojran was uncertain until the very end. How would you assess its course?

DZALEV: The Referendum was truly difficult. I would asses it as a referendum of political games! First of all, there was one political party that was applying maximum pressure on the citizens and which did not give them an opportunity to decide for themselves on whether to go and vote or not. Huge pressure was exerted for there to be not enough turnout and for the referendum to be declared unsuccessful. That is why the census was really slim.

CIVIL Media: The data indicate that it is about only 25 votes more than the needed for a successful referendum. What is the main cause for the low turnout at the referendum?

DZALEV: You know, the municipality and the settlements in Dojran are specific. It is a small municipality where everyone knows each other, the period for a referendum is not very favorable, in the midst of a tourist season…That is the first segment. The second segment is what I spoke about previously, a political party was exerting terrible pressure on its members and on those who it could pressure not to go and vote so as not to achieve a census.

CIVIL Media: The referendum in Valandovo is next on the list of local referendums in Macedonia. Do you expect pressures there also?

DZALEV: That will be the crescendo of everything! Gevgelia was not that bad, Bogdanci – no, today we saw how it went in Dojran with pressures, but in Valandovo it will be horrible! That is why I think that the problem of the Kazandol mine and of the other mines should be raised to a little higher level. When I say higher, I mean the national level. To involve many environmental associations, NGOs, not only you as CIVIL who were present today, but many more, even the Helsinki Committee should be involved. I believe that then we will have no problem. Even though I do expect that politics will do its work there too and that pressure will be exerted for there to be no census.

Маја Ivanovska