Todor Petrov (born 19 March 1960) is a

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...

nationalist. He is president of the

World Macedonian Congress The World Macedonian Congress (shortened as WMC or SMK; '' mk, Светски македонски конгрес; Svetski makedonski kongres'') is a self-declared "non-formal parliament of the ethnic Macedonians". It presents itself as an org ...

(WMC). Petrov is a councillor in the electorate of

Gazi Baba Gazi Baba ( mk, , sq, Gazi Babë) is one of the ten municipalities that make up the City of Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia. The municipality administration consists of a council and mayor. "Skopje encompasses ten municipalities (Aerodr ...

Early life and education

Petrov was born on 19 March 1960 in Gevgelija. He finished his primary and high school in Gevgelija, then he attended the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics.

Career

World Macedonian Congress

Petrov is president of the World Macedonian Congress (WMC), which is an informal world parliament of Macedonians and former Macedonian government-in-exile established in 1898 in Geneva, Switzerland. The World Macedonian Congress is an affiliate to UN as international non-government organisation. He has been re-elected several times as president of WMC, with his last election being in 2012 with his mandate expiring in 2016.

''Makedonsko Sonce''

Todor Petrov used to be chairman of the weekly newspaper ''

Makedonsko Sonce ''Makedonsko Sonce'' ( mk, ; en, Macedonian Sun) is a monthly magazine published in North Macedonia. The title means "Macedonian Sun", referring to the Vergina Sun The Vergina Sun ( el, Ήλιος της Βεργίνας, Ilios tis Vergínas ...

'', where he promoted the Macedonian cause.

Flag of the Republic of Macedonia (1992–1995)

In 1991, when the Republic of Macedonia declared independence, Todor Petrov successfully proposed the Vergina Sun symbol as the official

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

of Republic of Macedonia. In 1992 the newly formed country displayed the symbol on its new flag. This lasted until 1995, when the Republic of Macedonia was forced to modify its flag due to objections by Greece.

Political activities

Member of Parliament

In 1990, during the first democratic elections Todor Petrov was elected as the Member of Parliament from Gevgelija. Until today he is one of the only three members of parliament who entered parliament as

independent candidates An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have political views th ...

. During his four years as a member of parliament, he made over 2000 amendments, which make him the biggest amendment proposer in Macedonia politics.

2004 referendum

In 2004, Todor Petrov and

initiated 2004 Macedonian referendum against changes of administrative divisions. According to the government proposal of municipal border, which would decrease the percentage of Macedonians, and transform

Struga Struga ( mk, Струга , sq, Strugë) is a town and popular tourist destination situated in the south-western region of North Macedonia, lying on the shore of Lake Ohrid. The town of Struga is the seat of Struga Municipality. Name The nam ...

and Kicevo into

Albanians The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...

dominated cities, as well as make Albanian to be official language in capital Skopje. Prior to the vote, a Macedonian newspaper carried a story suggesting that if the referendum succeeded, Albanian militants had planned to blow up a pipeline carrying water to the capital Skopje. Just a day before the referendum, the U.S. recognised Macedonia under its constitution name, therefore trying to change the public opinion and putting pressure. Although 95% voted in favour of the change, the voter turnout of 27% was well below the 50% threshold, and the referendum was unsuccessful.

Presidential bid

In 2009, Todor Petrov was nominated to be candidate of

VMRO-DPMNE Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity ( mk, Внатрешна македонска револуционерна организација – Демократска партија за ...

for president of Macedonia. He was not able to secure his candidacy at the party's convention, and VMRO-DPMNE appointed as the party's presidential candidate Gjorge Ivanov, who later became

President of Macedonia The President of the Republic of North Macedonia ( mk, Претседател на Република Северна Македонија; sq, Presidenti i Republikës së Maqedonisë së Veriut) is the head of state of North Macedonia. The off ...

Human rights activities

Petrov has sent thousand of appeals to Western countries and international organisations in order to aware them of the harsh position of Macedonians living in the broader region of Macedonia and demanding basic human rights for them. Also, he is appealing for basic human rights of the Macedonian child refugees expelled from Greece. He is often promoting collecting humanitarian aid through Macedonian diaspora. Also, Todor Petrov took part in organising of collecting of 400,000 Australian dollars for help to the families of the Macedonian soldiers killed in action during the war in Macedonia in 2001. Also, he organised humanitarian aid for the Macedonian refugees in 2001.

References

External links

Official website of World Macedonian Congress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrov, Todor 1960 births Living people People from Gevgelija Macedonian politicians Macedonian human rights activists Macedonian nationalists