008: FROM VIOLENT CONFLICT TO INSTITUTIONAL CONFLICT REGULATION

Abstract

Constitutional treatment of cultural and territorial pluralism in the Republic of Macedonia followed the dynamic of ethnic conflict in this deeply divided society. This case study aims to show how this issue became central in ethnic conflict management—how political battles were fought over the constitutional accommodation of rival ethnic claims and how they were settled.  After giving the background to the ethnic conflict in Macedonia, the constitutional engineering of the Ohrid Framework Agreement (OFA) will be explored. Post-OFA developments regarding cultural and territorial pluralism in the Macedonian political system will also be analyzed in light of their theoretical foundations. The concluding analysis aims to define the character of the constitutional and political system of Macedonia and its prospects.