North Macedonia's new president Stevo Pendarovski takes office

North Macedonia's new president Stevo Pendarovski takes office
Copyright  REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski
By Cristina Abellan Matamoros

Outgoing president Gjorge Ivanov was among senior officials who attended the inauguration ceremony of new president Stevo Pendarovski.

Stevo Pendarovski was sworn in as North Macedonia's new president in an inauguration ceremony in Skopje on Sunday in the presence of senior government officials, including outgoing president Gjorge Ivanov.

Pendarovski, a 56-year-old law professor, defeated nationalist candidate and university professor Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova last week.

Government-backed candidate Pendarovski had received roughly 436,000 votes as of Monday. There were 1.8 million eligible voters.

Pendarovski supports North Macedonia’s June 2018 agreement with Greece to change its name from the Republic of Macedonia to the Republic of North Macedonia after a long dispute over the term “Macedonia.” 

Greece has a province that borders North Macedonia called Macedonia.

The newly elected president’s support for the agreement will help North Macedonia move ahead in accession to the European Union and NATO, experts say.

Read More: What’s next for North Macedonia? | Euronews Answers

You might also like