Only about 450,000 citizens out of 1.7 million people entered into electoral lists participated in the referendum, Tanyug says with reference to the electoral committee of Macedonia.
Therefore, the law on the division of the republic into "Macedonian" and "Albanian" enclave areas, which was supported by most of the parties forming the governmental coalition, is to automatically come into force.
The law on the country's new territorial arrangement is stipulated in the 2001 Ochrid peace agreement. Under the agreement, some districts of Macedonia are to come under the control of the representatives of the Albanian minority.
"The referendum's outcome shows that most Macedonian citizens support the reform of the local self-government system, which will ensure the country's Trans-Atlantic future," one of the leaders of the ruling Social Democratic Union of Macedonia, defense minister Vlado Buchkovski said.
In their turn, experts attribute the low turnout to the fact that the northern and western regions of Macedonia where mostly Albanians live actually completely boycotted the referendum.
The poll was the initiative of the leaders of the Macedonian opposition. On the eve of the referendum, they urged their supporters to come in large numbers to the polling stations to express their disagreement with the country's division in favor of the Albanians.
Ethnic Albanians account for about a quarter of Macedonia's population.
