SKOPJE, Republic of North Macedonia: North Macedonia’s right-wing candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova won the first round of the presidential election on Wednesday, the first of a series of votes to decide whether the country joins the European Union.
Siljanovska-Davkova won with about 40 percent of the vote and 90 percent of the votes counted, according to the state election commission.
This put her ahead of the Social Democratic Party (SDSM) president Stevo Pendarovski, who won nearly 20 percent of the vote.
The two will meet in the second round run-off on May 8, but Pendarovski’s outlook is bleak.
Parliamentary vote will also be held on the same day.
According to the report of the Election Commission, the participation of more than 49% was about 8% more than the first round of the 2019 presidential election.
Approximately 1.8 million people, including many residents of the diaspora, were eligible to vote, and more than 810,000 people cast their ballots at 3,480 polling stations across the country.
“It is clear that this result is incredibly inspirational for me,” Siljanovska-Davkova, who is supported by the main opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, said on Wednesday evening.
“I only know that what I promise I will implement in my own way. This is a beginning of a new era.”
Pendarovski admitted he was surprised by the wide gap.
President Stevo Pendarovski of the ruling centre-left Social Democratic Party (SDSM) is in danger of being ousted by Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.
The election comes amid a two-year standoff between the government and the opposition over how to deal with neighboring Bulgaria, which has blocked the country’s path to EU membership.
Relations with Bulgaria have been strained for a long time due to differences over the language and history of the two countries.
Sofia has refused to support Skopje and start EU accession talks until North Macedonia recognizes its ethnic Bulgarian minority in its constitution.
Pendarovski and the SDSM are ready to present an amendment, but they are too few to win parliamentary votes.
The opposition party VMRO-DPMNE claims that amending the constitution is possible only after North Macedonia joins the EU, but the government says this position is unrealistic.
In Wednesday’s vote, two opposing views were put on the ballot.
Old rivals
The two men, longtime political rivals who faced each other in the last presidential election in 2019, lead a field of seven candidates.
Pendarovski and the SDSM have vowed to break the stalled talks with the EU and begin constitutional reform through parliament.
The support of the five other candidates is key for the runoff.
