First woman president of Northern Macedonia: Balkans first, then Brussels

University professor Gordana Silanovska-Davidkova, who is supported by the right-wing opposition party V MRO- The DPMNE, won the presidential run-off on May 8th against Social Democratic League candidate Stevo Pendarovski, so far president.

In the first pre- opinion speech after victory, Silanovska-Davidkova said she would be president of all citizens, regardless of ethnic or party affiliation.

“From this moment on I will be acting as president of all citizens, all ethnic groups, all party members, those who are not in the party... because the president cannot unite the people and seek unity if he holds partisan lines”, she said.

Neighbors were urged to support him, as he said, the Balkanisation, to help each other and to be real politicians.

We should start to understand each other, help each other, not seek veto, but seek support. My roads first lead to the Balkans, and, of course, neither is Brussels outside”, said Silanovska-Davidkova.

What proud Macedonian “” promises?

During the pre-election campaign, Silanovska-Davidkova was presented as professor and independent representative in the Assembly.

In its “Macedonia is once again proud of”, writes that the Prespa Agreement, which changed Macedonia's name to Northern Macedonia, “is an open matter”, and that in its talks before the public, it will not use the word “north” in the name of the state.

It does not support changing the Constitution, but in an interview given to late Radio Europe Free Europe, it said that if the Parliament approves constitutional amendments which would enable Bulgarians and the other five ethnic minorities to become part of the Macedonian Constitution, it would respect them.

Such changes in the Preambula of the Constitution are a condition for northern Macedonia to continue negotiations on membership in the European Union.

Within a ten-day term, Silanovska-Davidova, as president, will share the mandate for forming the new party candidate government -- parties that have the majority in the Assembly, respectively.

Silanovska-Davidkova entered the second election district as a favourite, as in the first round on 24 April, when the total race of seven candidates won twice as many votes as Social Democratic League-backed candidate Stevo Pendarovski.

In the run-off, Silanovska-Davidkova won 363,085 votes and Pendarovski 180.499 votes.

This was a completely opposite result compared to their first election duel in 2019 when Pendarovski won.

Pendarovski's current term expires on 12 May. By then, the Assembly should hold the session for the inauguration of the new president.

In this case, the ceremonyal session for the inauguration of the new president will keep MPs from making the Parliament by far.

State Election Commission Chairman Aleksandar Dashtevski said this institution will try to respect all deadlines, so that the country will have the new president on 12 May.

Five presidents and six election cycles

Since Northern Macedonia's independence, the country has had a total of five presidents.

First, Kiro Gligorov, had two warrants. For the first one has been elected by a secret vote in Macedonia's Parliament on 27 January 1991. For the second and all later mandates have been elected to general and direct elections.

Gligorov has won his second term in 1994, and Boris Trajkovski has arrived behind him in 1999. He was president until his tragic death in a plane crash in 2004.

The third president has later become then Social Democratic League leader Branko Crvenkovski, who has remained in that position only for a mandate.

After him, in 2009, Djordje Ivanov, proposed by the V MRO DPMNE, has won the election and held two mandates until 2019, when Stevo Pendarovski was elected at the head of state. / REL/