North Macedonia held presidential and parliamentary elections, resulting in the election of the first woman president, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova. She won with nearly 65% of the vote, backed by the conservative VMRO-DPMNE party. Incumbent Stevo Pendarovski conceded after receiving just over 29% of the vote. The conservative party made sweeping gains amid popular discontent over the slow progress towards European Union membership and the sluggish economy. A coalition led by the VMRO-DPMNE party was ahead in the parliamentary election with nearly 43% of the vote.
The Social Democrat-led coalition, which has been in power for the past seven years, struggled to hold onto second place with 14.8% of the vote. Social Democrat leader Dimitar Kovachevski conceded his party’s defeat and announced that he would step down after a new party leader is selected. The victory for Siljanovska-Davkova makes her the first woman to hold the largely ceremonial post of president since the country gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The monthlong campaign focused on issues such as EU membership, rule of law, corruption, poverty, and economic growth.
VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski led a coalition that accused opponents of ineptitude and compromising with the country’s neighbors. Mickoski pledged to make fighting corruption a priority in the incoming conservative-led government. The NATO member country has been a candidate for EU membership since 2005, but has faced obstacles due to disputes with Greece and Bulgaria, as well as slow progress on necessary reforms for EU membership. Other countries like Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia are also seeking EU membership.
Many citizens expressed disappointment over the long wait for EU membership, but hoped for progress now that a new government is in place. Skopje resident Gordana Gerasimovski stated that the country should have been part of the EU a long time ago, and expressed hope for real progress in the future. The elections were monitored by over 2,300 domestic and international observers to ensure transparency and fairness. The conservative landslide victory signals a shift in the country’s politics and could lead to changes in governance, particularly with regard to EU membership, corruption, and economic development.
