IRI Trains President Crvenkovski

October 22, 2004

This week IRI concluded two weeks of intensive training for the office of Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski. At his request, IRI trained Crvenkovski and his senior advisors on how to develop and implement an integrated communications strategy. The training included communications planning, media strategy, message development, communications tactics and public outreach.

For the training, IRI sent communications expert and Capitol Hill veteran Christopher Ingram to Skopje. The latter part of the training mission focused on the upcoming referendum on the Law on Territorial Redistricting. The law, passed as part of the Ohrid Framework Agreement that ended the conflict between Macedonians and ethnic Albanians in 2001, redraws municipal boundaries and reduces the number of municipalities. The opposition parties were successful in pushing for a nationwide referendum on this highly contentious and ethnically divisive law. The IRI team provided assistance to President Crvenkovski on developing and implementing a strategy to promote the upcoming referendum. The referendum will be held on November 7, 2004.

IRI had provided training for the late Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski, Macedonia's first non-communist president who died in a plane crash early this year, both during and after his 1999 presidential election campaign. Branko Crvenkovski, who served as Prime Minister under Trajkovski's presidency, was elected president in April of this year.

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