Arrr, North Macedonia be settin' sail for a presidential runoff, with the center-right scallywag takin' the lead!
2024-04-24
Arrr, me hearties! North Macedonia be settin' sail for a presidential runoff on May 8th! None o' the scallywags could gather enough support from the landlubbers to claim victory. Aye, the voting will sail alongside the parliamentary elections. Yarrr!
Aye, me hearties! North Macedonia be headin' to a presidential runoff after no scallywag secured enough votes to win outright in Wednesday’s first round o' ballotin' as they aim to join the European Union. The second round on May 8th will happen alongside parliamentary elections. Results from Wednesday showed a shift in favor o' the candidate backed by the center-right opposition, VMRO-DPMNE.With 92% o' the votes counted, Gordana Siljanovska Davkova be in the lead with nearly 40%. Incumbent President Stevo Pendarovski be trailin' behind with 20%, followed by Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani with 13.6%. Turnout be 49.75%. To win outright, a candidate needed more than 50% support, so Davkova and Pendarovski will face off in the runoff.Hopes be high in North Macedonia for entry into the EU, after decades o' tryin' with little success. Candidates focused on EU accession, rule of law, fightin' corruption, and reducin' poverty in the campaign. Both Davkova and Pendarovski believe in EU membership but disagree on how to handle Bulgaria's demands for ethnic minority recognition.The voting process went smoothly, with only minor technical issues. North Macedonia has been a EU candidate since 2005, but talks began recently and could take years. Voters be eager for EU membership, hopin' for a brighter future ahead, mateys!