Win in the first round of the presidential elections, the candidate of the right-wing opposition party noted VMRO-DPMNE, Gordana Silianowskawinning by twice the margin of her main opponent, candidate of the ruling Social Democratic Party (SDSM) and outgoing president of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski.
According to the results announced by the country’s National Electoral Commission, with 92% of the votes counted, Gordana Silianovska gathers 40%, while Stevo Pendarovsky gets just 20% of the vote. Third comes the candidate of the co-ruling Albanian party DUI and Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani with a percentage of 13.6%, followed by the candidate of the coalition of four opposition Albanian parties, Arben Taravari with a percentage of 9.6%.
Yesterday, Wednesday (24/04), the first round of the presidential elections was held in North Macedonia, in which seven candidates participated. In order to be elected president of the Republic of North Macedonia in the first round, it is required to receive more than 50% of the total electorate in the country, which was impossible to happen in the first place. Therefore, a second round will be held, between the two winners of the first round.
The second round, involving 70-year-old Gordana Silianovska and 60-year-old Stevo Pendarovski, will be held in two weeks (May 8) and will coincide with the country’s parliamentary elections.
Gordana Silianovska in her statements late last night spoke of an “excellent result”.
“I am proud of the citizens, not only of those who voted for me, but also of the rest, I am especially proud of the members of VMRO-DPMNE and their support,” noted Silianovska.
Stevo Pendarovski admitted that the result was not what he wanted, but he added that he will try to turn it around in the second round.
The leader of VMRO-DPMNE, Christian Mickowskispoke of a “political tsunami” in the country and expressed the certainty that Gordana Silianovska will be the new president of the country, while his party will score a “huge” victory in the parliamentary elections and form the country’s next government.
The leader of the SDSM, Dimitar Kovacevski, also acknowledged that the result of yesterday’s elections was not what his party expected. Kovacevsky assessed that the voters punished the ruling faction for any mistakes and failures, while adding that the result “is also a blow to the European perspective of the country”.
Political analysts at Skopje comment that the feature of the first round of the presidential election was the margin of victory of VMRO-DPMNE candidate Gordana Silianovska, which exceeded even the most optimistic predictions of the main opposition party itself and is almost impossible to overturn in the second round.
Analysts also consider that the result of yesterday’s elections is a kind of “disapproval” of the ruling Social Democratic Party, which, after the departure of Zoran Zaev from its leadership, is fading, while, as they note, in the parliamentary elections of May 8, danger for this party to suffer a crushing defeat.
