State Archives presents original ballot and documents from the 1991 independence referendum

The State Archives of North Macedonia has for the first time publicly displayed the original ballot paper from the September 8, 1991 independence referendum, together with polling-station protocols and other documents tied to the organisation and conduct of the vote. The materials were presented this week by the Archives’ director, m-r Dimitar Bogeski, in a year that marks the institution’s 75th anniversary and the country’s 35th anniversary of independence.

The collection on show includes the physical ballot, official minutes from polling places, correspondence, administrative acts and reports produced during the preparation and running of the referendum. According to Bogeski, the papers allow researchers to trace the state‑building process through specific legal and political instruments.

After the introduction of the multiparty system and the 1990 elections, the formation of the first multiparty Assembly was followed by a sequence of state-forming acts: the Declaration of Sovereignty on 25 January 1991, the Decision to call a referendum on 26 July 1991, the Declaration endorsing the plebiscitary will of citizens on 17 September 1991, and the Constitution adopted on 17 November 1991.

Documents as a chronological record

“When we follow these documents in their chronological order, we get a clear picture of the overall dynamics of the state‑building process — from the first political changes and the establishment of the new institutional framework, through the affirmation of sovereignty and citizens' expression, to the constitutional establishment of the independent state,” Bogeski said.

He emphasised that, beyond constitutional and legal acts, the archival fonds contain the day‑to‑day official paperwork that shows how political decisions were turned into practical measures: reports, protocols and exchanges between institutions involved in organising the referendum. “Through the archival collections we can follow the gradual transformation of political will into concrete state acts,” Bogeski said.

“Preserving the original documents from 1991 is a supreme institutional and patriotic responsibility,” Bogeski added, noting that the materials should be permanently protected, professionally processed and made accessible to future generations.

To mark 35 years of independence, the exhibition titled "Archival Documents — Pillar of Macedonian Identity" will also be shown at the Croatian State Archives in Zagreb. The display covers key documents from the broader state‑forming trajectory, from the Razlovci uprising in 1876 and Ilinden and ASNOМ, through to the independence referendum of 1991.

Photo: Државен архив)