On September 8, 1991 the Republic of Macedonia seceded peacefully from Yugoslavia following a constitutional referendum. However, the complex transition of the country into a liberal democracy suffered a serious setback in 2001. Members of the country’s Albanian population resorted to armed conflict in order to strengthen their demands for greater involvement in Macedonian politics and society. The conflict was settled with the help of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, a treaty designed to guarantee the rights of minorities in the Republic of Macedonia.