North Macedonia has its first female president

Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova is the new president of North Macedonia. The VMRO-DPMNE candidate crushed the current president Stevo Pendarovski in the presidential elections, with the difference between the two being 2 to 1 in favor of Siljanovska, reported a BGNES reporter.
With almost 100% processed ballots, Siljanovska won 65.14% of the votes, while Pendarovski, nominated by the Social Democratic Union (SDSM), received only 29.27% of the citizens' vote.
The constitutional requirement of over 40% turnout in the presidential vote was met, meaning that North Macedonia has its first female president.
"I define as invaluable the support I received today from the citizens," said Siljanovska, adding that for several hours she wondered "how she deserved this huge support."
She defined the election of the first female president "in this little country" as a real reformist sign.
"This will become clear very quickly and clearly when I surround myself with women who will be similar in spirit to Vaclav Havel," she also said.
"It is time to put an end to balkanization and homobalkanicus and to announce the beginning of homoeuropicus," emphasized Siljanovska.
The new Macedonian head of state announced that he will not be guided by party interests and principles, but will leave the doors of his office wide open.
Pendarovsky, in turn, admitted defeat.
In a short address, he congratulated, without mentioning, the winner of the presidential vote and the party that wins the parliamentary elections.
"My conscience is clear. I'm not sure that's the case with the winners," Pendarovski said and ended his short statement.
He stated that his concept of a European Macedonia did not receive enough support.
Pendarovski's loss is catastrophic, considering every election since Macedonia was declared independent 30 years ago.
Former Macedonian Prime Minister and SDSM leader Dimitar Kovachevski also congratulated Siljanovska on her election victory and acknowledged the heavy defeat his party suffered.
Kovachevski called for the convening of internal party elections and an analysis of the heavy loss.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic congratulated Siljanovska on her victory in the second round.
"I congratulate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova on her election as the President of North Macedonia and wish her to successfully fulfill the responsible duty she assumes. I am convinced that we will continue to work together to strengthen the ties between Serbia and Macedonia for the progress and prosperity of our peoples, as well as the prosperity of the entire region," said Vucic.
BGNES recalls that in the presidential elections in 2019, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova also reached the second round, which was then won by Stevo Pendarovski.
***
Over the years, Prof. Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova has been an opponent of the Prespa Agreement between Macedonia and Greece, which resolved the dispute over the name of the Republic of Macedonia, and Athens supported Skopje for NATO and the EU.
Siljanovska is also against the Treaty of Friendship with Bulgaria from 2017. She spoke out against the law to expand the use of the Albanian language in 2018. In the framework of this year's election campaign, she firmly followed the anti-Bulgarian political line.
She was born on May 11, 1953 in Ohrid, then Yugoslavia. In 1973, he completed his secondary education in the capital Skopje. In 1978, he graduated from the Law Faculty of the University of Skopje, and in 1993 he defended his doctorate in law in Ljubljana.
Siljanovska's career in Macedonian institutions is rich. From 1990 to 1992, she was a member of the constitutional commission in the Macedonian parliament. The professor was a member of the Venice Commission from 2008 to 2016. In the period 1992-1994, he was a minister without portfolio in the first cabinet of Branko Crvenkovski - a member of the Presidency of the Union of Communists in Macedonia since 1990, known for his anti-Bulgarian views. /BGNES