ISSUE: 2/2026
- Volume 30
- Number 2
- 2026
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Studia Europejskie –
Studies in European Affairs
ISSN: 1428-149X
e-ISSN: 2719-3780
License
Articles published in the journal are under a Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial – No Derivatives 4.0 International License
Publication co-financed by Ministry of Science and Higher Education pursuant to the Regulation of the Minister of Education and Science of 3 August 2021 (Journal of Laws of 2021, item 1514) on the “Development of Scientific Journals” programme.
Publikacja dofinansowana przez Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego na podstawie rozporządzenia Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z 3 sierpnia 2021 r. (Dz. U. z 2021 r. poz. 1514) w sprawie programu „Rozwój czasopism naukowych”.
Publication co-financed by the University of Warsaw within the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” programme.
Czasopismo otrzymało dofinasowanie w ramach Programu „Inicjatywa Doskonałości – Uczelnia Badawcza”.
Stability over Democracy: Assessing the Legacy of the Ohrid Framework Agreement
Abstract
The Ohrid Framework Agreement (OFA), signed in 2001 to end armed conflict in what was then the Republic of Macedonia (subsequently renamed North Macedonia in 2019), is widely regarded as a successful model of international conflict management and ethnic accommodation. This article critically examines its longer-term democratic implications, focusing on whether the prioritisation of stability and interethnic balance has constrained substantive democratisation. Drawing on qualitative institutional analysis informed by critical theory and peace studies, the study explores the relationship between power-sharing arrangements, governance, and democratic development.
The findings suggest that while the OFA reduced the risk of renewed conflict and improved minority representation, it also entrenched ethnically segmented governance, strengthened party elites as brokers of collective rights, and contributed to patterns of patronage. In this sense, the agreement secured so-called “negative peace”, but fell short of fostering “positive peace”, understood as social justice, equality, and inclusive political transformation.
This article argues that the OFA’s legacy reflects a broader tension between externally mediated stability and democratic depth, offering insights into the structural limits of consociational arrangements in post-conflict settings.
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DOI: 10.33067/SE.2.2026.9
Language: English
Pages: 179-196
How to Cite:
Harvard
Vankovska, B. (2026) "Stability over Democracy: Assessing the Legacy of the Ohrid Framework Agreement". Studia Europejskie – Studies in European Affairs, 2/2026, pp. 179-196. DOI: 10.33067/SE.2.2026.9