Macedonian Patriotic Organization of the Bulgarians -- USA 5

Articles 5-13 clarify the Macedonian Patriotic Organization's structure and principles of work in local patriotic organizations. The organization's highest body is the Congress, who is summoned each year [41]. If necessary, the chart allows for an extraordinary congress to be held. The delegates are elected by local patriotic organizations. This is done according to the following principle -- one representative for twenty-five members. Representatives of local organizations present to the delegates authorized written letters of attorney. An organization of more than 50 members can authorize three delegates only. The Congress evaluates the Central Committee's work during the past mandate, it draws general aims for the future work and elects a Central Committee of the Macedonian Patriotic Organization.

At the basis of MPO are the local patriotic organizations. In order to form such an organization, five members at least are necessary. The Central Committee recognizes each new organization at the Congress. Only one local Macedonian Patriotic Organization can exist in one town or city, in order to avoid doubled activities and confrontation. An organization's member can be anyone older that 18, born in Macedonia, or whose parents are Macedonian, and he should "accept and support the aims and the chart, and obliges himself to follow all its instructions." [42] Youth and women sections were created as an addition to the local patriotic organizations.

The last chapter of MPO's chart, "General Arrangements", clarifies some untypical cases related to the organizations' activities -- the organization's stamp is described, the Central Committee's headquarters are defined. There are also clarifications on how to finalize the work of a local patriotic organization that has dissolved. Article 28 emphasizes that if the organization reaches its final purpose, Macedonia's liberation, this will not bring the organization's end. This would only change its aim according to the congress's decisions. Records, flags and other historical objects of value kept by MPO would be handed in to the first National Parliament of liberated Macedonia [46]. Extremely important is the "note" to Article 28, saying "The use of concepts of "Macedonians" and "Macedonian emigrants" in this chart are equally valid for all ethnic groups in Macedonia -- Bulgarians, Rumanians, Turks, Albanians, etc, and in this case they have geographic, rather than ethnographic, significance [47]. This part of the chart makes it impossible to equate MPO's ideas to Yovan Zviich's "Macedonian theory", whose greatest opponent in North America is precisely MPO. During the whole period between the two World Wars the Organization was established and acted as an independent legal emigrant structure of Macedonian Bulgarians [48], devoted to the struggle to eliminate negative consequences of the peace treaty in the end of World War I.

http://macedonia-science.org/page.php?127
http://www.macedonian.org/media/buneva3.asp

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