In this respect, the suggestion conveyed by EU and NATO officials, that a repeat of last year’s tumultuous elections could further distance Macedonia from membership in the two bodies, is a little disingenuous. Assuredly this vote was very important, and the ability to conduct peaceful elections should be a staple of an aspiring EU and NATO state, but the reality is that Macedonia’s candidacy has been stalled not by its electoral difficulties, but by Greece’s stringent objection to the country’s name. And it was a president being elected yesterday, not a name.