Macedonia Holds Presidential Elections

Macedonians are going to the polls on Sunday in the fifth presidential elections for the country.

Four presidential candidates are competing in the race, including incumbent Gjorge Ivanov from ruling conservative party VMRO-DPMNE, Stevo Pendarovski from the opposition Social Democratic Party, SDSM, Zoran Popovski from the newly-formed party Citizens Options for Macedonia, GROM, and Ilijaz Halimi from the Democratic Party of the Albanians, DPA, according to reports of the MINA news agency.

If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, a run-off between the top two contenders will be held on April 27, alongside the early general elections.

Polling agencies expect more than 40% of the eligible voters, about 1.7 million people, to cast ballots.

Macedonia's previous four rounds of presidential elections were held in 1994, 1999, 2004 and 2009.

The first president of Macedonia Kiro Gligorov was not elected in direct elections but by Parliament on January 27, 1991.

Macedonia's new president is to assume office on May 12, 2014, when the five-year term of incumbent Gjorge Ivanov expires.

The election campaign for the presidential elections started on March 24, 2014 and ended 24 hours ahead of Election Day.

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