North Macedonia to elect president after campaign focused on hot-button issue of EU membership

By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES
Associated Press

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Voters are going to the polls in North Macedonia this week for the first round of the presidential election, the seventh such vote since the Balkan country gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. Seven candidates are vying for the largely ceremonial position. The brief campaign has focused on North Macedonia’s progress towards joining the European Union, the rule of law, fighting corruption, combating poverty and tackling the country’s sluggish economy. The two front-runners are incumbent 61-year-old President Stevo Pendarovski who is seeking a second five-year term with support from the governing social democrats, and 70-year-old Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, supported by the center-right main opposition VMRO-DPMNE coalition.