Ivanov wins Macedonia election

Toby Vogel

European Voice
April 6

The candidate of Macedonia's ruling party, Gjorge Ivanov, won a landslide victory in the second round of a presidential election yesterday (5 April). Ivanov, a member of the centre-right VMRO-DPMNE, vowed to push for a resolution of the dispute with neighbouring Greece over his country's name. Greece objects to the name ‘Macedonia', saying that it implies territorial aspirations to the eponymous region in northern Greece, and has vetoed Macedonia's admission to NATO over the issue.

Macedonia has been an official candidate for membership of the European Union since 2005 but has not been invited to start negotiations. The peaceful conduct of elections is one of the preconditions set by the EU for closer ties. Sunday's poll passed without violence, as did a first round on 22 March. Macedonia is one of the countries in the region that could see EU visa requirements lifted before the end of the year.

The powers of Macedonia's president are mainly in the field of foreign policy. Ivanov's predecessor, Branko Crvenkovski, from the centre-left opposition SDSM, was barely on speaking terms with the country's populist prime minister, the VMRO-DPMNE's Nikola Gruevski. Ivanov's victory at the polls, and gains in local elections on the same day, are likely to strengthen Gruevski's hand.

Ivanov is a 49-year old professor at Skopje law school with no experience in government.