Democratic Union of the Vlachs of Macedonia

Democratic Union of the Vlachs of Macedonia
Демократски сојуз на Власите од Македонија (Macedonian)
Unia Democratã a Armãnjlor dit Machidunii (Aromanian)
AbbreviationDSVM
PresidentNikola Babovski
Founded2002
HeadquartersSkopje
IdeologyAromanian minority politics
Party flag

The Democratic Union of the Vlachs of Macedonia (DSVM; Macedonian: Демократски сојуз на Власите од Македонија, ДСВМ; Aromanian: Unia Democratã a Armãnjlor dit Machidunii, UDAM) is one of the two political parties of North Macedonia representing the Aromanian minority of the country, the other being the Party of the Vlachs of Macedonia (PVM).[1] The president of the DSVM is Nikola Babovski (Aromanian: Nicola Babovschi, Nico Babovschi).[2] It was founded in 2002.[3]

The Aromanians are a Balkan Romance-speaking ethnic group living, among other countries, in North Macedonia. Officially, they are known as "Vlachs" and are around 9,695 people in the country according to the 2002 Macedonian census. However, there are claims that, in fact, the Aromanians number over 80,000, which the DSVM backs.[4]

The DSVM has little political relevance and lacks an official website on the Internet. Information on its members, leadership and structure is also limited. It has been part of the We Can coalition together with parties such as the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) for many years.[5]

In 2021, the DSVM and other Aromanian organizations of North Macedonia, including the PVM through a representative of the party, met with the President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski on the occasion of the Aromanian National Day celebrated every 23 May and asked for a constituency with guaranteed seats on the Parliament of North Macedonia for representatives of the Aromanian minority of the country. The situation of the minority in North Macedonia and the progress made so far in their minority rights were also discussed.[2]

  1. ^ Purkoviḱ, Zlatka (30 November 2010). Miloševska Fidanoska, Elizabeta (ed.). "Јазикот е нашата татковина". Deutsche Welle (in Macedonian).
  2. ^ a b "Meeting with representatives of the Vlach community on the eve of May 23 – National Day of the Vlachs". President of the Republic of North Macedonia. 21 May 2021.
  3. ^ Kahl, Thede (2002). "The ethnicity of Aromanians after 1990: the identity of a minority that behaves like a majority". Ethnologia Balkanica. 6: 145–169.
  4. ^ Miličeviḱ, Milan (18 April 2019). "Власите во Македонија: Имаме дваесетина здруженија, ама општеството не се покажало кон нас". MKD (in Macedonian). Archived from the original on 13 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Кој стои зад одлуката на СДСМ за бојкот". Press24 (in Macedonian). 11 April 2016.