The candidate of North Macedonia's ruling coalition, Stevo Pendarovski, claimed victory in a run-off presidential election late on Sunday, saying he would be the president of all citizens.
Preliminary data showed after 98.5 percent of the votes counted that the left-wing candidate Pendarovski won 51.75 percent of the votes, while the right-wing opposition candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova received 44.65 percent.
The non-governmental organisation Most, which deployed the largest number of observers for the polls, also estimated that Pendarovski won the vote with slightly over 51 percent.
In his initial address, Pendarovski said that he would be the president of all citizens and would promote justice and rule of law. “Let’s all move forward and be partners on the way to stability. … The dark times are behind us,” he added.
Pendarovski said that the election was fair and democratic and that its outcome was a great success for his country.
A political science professor, Pendarovski is the country’s first president since it changed its name from Macedonia to North Macedonia, settling a long-standing dispute over its name with Greece. He supported the agreement with Greece and is involved in efforts for the country to join NATO.
The opposition candidate Siljanovska-Davkova conceded defeat and congratulated Pendarovski.
“The result shows that the Macedonian opposition has to be recognised as an important factor in further development,” she said, adding that the governing coalition had lost a lot of votes and that “the situation is such that an early election should be considered.”
European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn also congratulated Pendarovski on the election victory.
“I look forward to the continued cooperation on the EU reform agenda in view of last year’s Council conclusions setting the path toward opening accession negotiations in June 2019. North Macedonia can count on the EU’s continued support for its EU accession perspective, thus responding to the strong European aspirations of its people,” Hahn said in a tweet.
