NATO Envoy Narrowly Wins First Round of North Macedonia Election
- Presidential vote underscores split over nation’s orientation
- Pendarovski heads to March 5 runoff against opposition rival
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A government-backed candidate scored a razor-edge victory in the first round of North Macedonia’s presidential election and will advance to a runoff against an opposition figure who opposes the deal that opened the way to western integration.
Stevo Pendarovski, the coordinator for the country’s accession talks to NATO, won 42.8 percent in Sunday’s vote, according to the Electoral Commission, with 99.5 percent counted. Opposition candidate Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, backed by the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party, was in second with 42.3 percent. Blerim Reka, who represented ethnic-Albanian parties, was third and won’t advance to the May 5 runoff.