Opposition wins elections in North Macedonia

In North Macedonia, the right-wing opposition won a landslide victory in parliamentary and presidential elections on Wednesday. For the first time, this small Balkan country will be led by a woman, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova. She was nominated as the presidential candidate of the right-wing Democratic Party for National Unity (DPMNE).

The leader of the current ruling Social Democrats (SDSM), Dimitar Kovacevski, admitted defeat after the announcement of preliminary results. The opposition party DPMNE won by a significant margin.

“Our results are disappointing,” Kovacevsky said at a news conference, calling for a thorough analysis of the reasons for the defeat.

Voters in North Macedonia, which has a population of two million, have recently been frustrated by their country’s slow progress toward European Union membership. The prospect of becoming a member of the EU instilled optimism in the country’s citizens back in 2005. But since then, hopes have faded and, as Reuters notes, North Macedonia has become a symbol of unfulfilled dreams.

Attempts to reduce corruption and at the same time overcome the too slow pace of economic development alienated voters from the ruling party.

The news is being updated