(ANSA-AFP) - SKOPJE, APR 25 - North Macedonia's right-wing
candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova claimed a comprehensive
victory in the first round of presidential elections on
Wednesday -- the first in a series of votes that could decide
whether the Balkan country will join the European Union.
According to the state electoral commission, with 90 percent of
vots counted, Siljanovska-Davkova had romped to victory with
almost 40 percent. That put her way ahead of President Stevo
Pendarovski of the ruling centre-left Social Democrats (SDSM),
who claimed close to 20 percent of the votes. The two will face
off in the second round run-off on May 8 but the outlook is
bleak for Pendarovski. There will also be a parliamentary poll
that same day. Turnout was over 49 percent, according to the
electoral commission, some eight points higher than the first
round of the presidential elections in 2019. About 1.8 million
people -- including a large diaspora -- were eligible to vote,
while more than 810,000 cast their ballots at 3,480 polling
stations around the country. "It is clear that this result is
incredibly inspirational for me," Siljanovska-Davkova, who is
supported by the main opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, told
reporters on Wednesday evening. "I only know that what I promise
I will implement in my own way. This is a beginning of a new
era." Pendarovski admitted he was surprised by the wide gap. "We
expected less (difference), but tomorrow is a new day. We are
starting from the beginning," Pendarovski told reporters.
(ANSA-AFP).
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