The issue of national identity is taken seriously by Balkan people – including the least serious among them.
Macedonian Presidential Elections: Short History
Since 1994
the president has been elected by popular vote to serve a five-year term.
November 1994
These were the first presidential elections in the country since it proclaimed independence in 1991.
Kiro Gligorov, backed by the then ruling Social Democrats, won a second term in office after being previously elected president by the national assembly in 1990. He won 53 per cent of votes cast, or 715,087 votes in total. His only opponent, Ljubisa Georgievski, from the nationalist VMRO DPMNE, won far less, taking 197,109 votes, which was 14 per cent of the votes cast.
July 1999
Boris Trajkovski won the 1999 presidential race in the second round as candidate of the then ruling VMRO DPMNE party. He won 582,880 votes, 52 per cent of votes cast. His opponent, Tito Petkovski, from the main opposition Social Democrats, won 513,614 votes, 46 per cent of votes cast.
Four other candidates, Muarem Nexhipi, Muhamed Halili, Vasil Tupurkovski and Stojan Andov, did not make it to the second round.
After President Trajkovski died in February 2004 in an air crash in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the speaker of parliament, Ljupco Jordanovski, temporarily held the post until April 2004.
April 2004
The then head of the ruling Social Democrats, Branko Crvenkovski, won the 2004 race, beating his VMRO DPMNE opponent, Sasko Kedev, in the second turn and taking 550,317 votes over Kedev’s 329,179. He won 62 per cent of the votes over Kedev’s 37 per cent.
Two ethnic Albanian candidates, Gzim Ostreni from the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, and Zidi Xhelili, from the Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, were knocked out in the first round.
November 1994
These were the first presidential elections in the country since it proclaimed independence in 1991.
Kiro Gligorov, backed by the then ruling Social Democrats, won a second term in office after being previously elected president by the national assembly in 1990. He won 53 per cent of votes cast, or 715,087 votes in total. His only opponent, Ljubisa Georgievski, from the nationalist VMRO DPMNE, won far less, taking 197,109 votes, which was 14 per cent of the votes cast.
July 1999
Boris Trajkovski won the 1999 presidential race in the second round as candidate of the then ruling VMRO DPMNE party. He won 582,880 votes, 52 per cent of votes cast. His opponent, Tito Petkovski, from the main opposition Social Democrats, won 513,614 votes, 46 per cent of votes cast.
Four other candidates, Muarem Nexhipi, Muhamed Halili, Vasil Tupurkovski and Stojan Andov, did not make it to the second round.
After President Trajkovski died in February 2004 in an air crash in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the speaker of parliament, Ljupco Jordanovski, temporarily held the post until April 2004.
April 2004
The then head of the ruling Social Democrats, Branko Crvenkovski, won the 2004 race, beating his VMRO DPMNE opponent, Sasko Kedev, in the second turn and taking 550,317 votes over Kedev’s 329,179. He won 62 per cent of the votes over Kedev’s 37 per cent.
Two ethnic Albanian candidates, Gzim Ostreni from the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, and Zidi Xhelili, from the Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, were knocked out in the first round.
