In a push to impose documents with the name “North Macedonia” on the citizens more quickly, the Government announced that all identity documents with the name Republic of Macedonia will stop being valid on February 13th next year.

This will apply to identity cards, driver licenses and passports. Citizens will be forced to take out new documents, even if there are years before the old ones expire. Citizens won’t be allowed to leave the country with a valid passport if it carries the name Republic of Macedonia, without the imposed adjective “north”.

This decision has raised concerns about the coming elections. Identity documents are necessary to vote and it’s possibly that a large number of citizens are left without new documents by the time elections take place next year.