North Macedonia Holds Parliamentary Election and Presidential Runoff on May 8  

Skopje ( Photo: PrintScreen YouTube)

North Macedonians will be going to the polls on May 8 for doubles elections – parliamentary and presidential runoff, with the State Electoral Commission expecting the results to be known by midnight. 

The second round of the presidential race will see Gordana Siljanovska Davkova of the opposition VMRO-DPMNE running against Stevo Pendarovski, the incumbent president from the ruling Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM). In the first round held on April 24, Siljanovska Davkova won 363,085 votes or 40.09 percent, to Pendarovski’s 180.499 or 19.93 percent of the cast ballots. 

Two ethnic Albanian coalitions whose candidates did not qualify for the runoff, have denied they will boycott the runoff and have called on their supporters to vote by their own will. Pendarovski’s term of office expires on Sunday, May 12. 

A turnout in presidential election needs to be 40 percent of the total number of eligible voters. 

A total of 17 tickets will run in the parliamentary elections, while five coalitions and three parties have submitted their tickets in all six electoral units. According to polls, the favorite for winning the largest number of votes for the 120-seat parliament is the conservative VMRO DPMNE-led coalition. 

A total of 1,814,317 voters are eligible to vote in the presidential runoff, and 1,815,350 in parliamentary election. Accreditation for parliamentary election and the second round of presidential vote on May 8 have been granted to 1,999 observers, translators and foreign reporters.