North Macedonia Presidential Polls Focus on EU Accession, Rule of Law

Voters in North Macedonia headed to the polls on Wednesday, casting their votes in a presidential election with the hope of advancing the country's aspirations to join the European Union. This small Balkan nation has been on the periphery of the EU for nearly two decades, striving for membership in the 27-nation bloc with limited progress. The election is anticipated to lead to a second round of voting on May 8, alongside parliamentary elections, as it's unlikely any candidate will secure the required 50 per cent of registered voters for an outright win.

By 6:30 p.m. local time (1630GMT), just half an hour before the polls closed, voter turnout reached 48.25 per cent, as reported by the State Electoral Commission. The election has seen seven candidates vying for the largely ceremonial role, with their campaigns focusing on key issues such as EU accession, rule of law, combating corruption, and poverty reduction.

Aleksandar Dashtevski, head of the Electoral Commission, noted that the voting process was smooth, marred only by a minor technical glitch with biometric devices at some polling centres, which was promptly addressed. The main contenders in this electoral race are incumbent President Stevo Pendarovski and Gordana Siljanovska Davkova.

Pendarovski, 61, seeks a second five-year term with backing from the country's governing social democrats. On the other hand, Siljanovska Davkova, 70, has garnered support from the centre-right main opposition VMRO-DPMNE coalition. Pendarovski expressed his expectations for a "peaceful and transparent" electoral process that aligns with European and international standards.

The two leading candidates have expressed differing views on how to address Bulgaria's demand for constitutional recognition of a Bulgarian ethnic minority in North Macedonia—a condition set by EU member Bulgaria for not blocking North Macedonia's membership bid. Despite being an EU candidate since 2005, North Macedonia only commenced membership talks in 2022, a process expected to span several years.

Other presidential hopefuls include Biljana Vankovska, a law professor running for the leftist party Levica, and two members of the ethnic Albanian minority: Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani and Arben Taravari from an opposition ethnic Albanian party. Voter Stavre Temelkovski shared his high expectations for North Macedonia's swift accession to full EU membership.

Should no candidate win outright in Wednesday's election, the two with the highest votes will proceed to a second round where a minimum turnout of 40 per cent is required for a valid result. North Macedonia boasts 1.8 million registered voters out of a population of 2.3 million. With polls closing at 7 p.m. local time and no exit polls conducted, early results were anticipated by Thursday morning. The election was monitored by about 320 international observers.