Macedonia Holds 2-in-1 Presidential, Snap Elections

Macedonia votes Sunday for a new President and Parliament in a double election.

Around 1.8 million eligible voters are to cast ballots at over 3500 polling stations across the country.

Election Day started at 7 am local time and is to end at 7pm, with preliminary results due late on Sunday, according to reports of Al Jazeera.

Incumbent George Ivanov of the ruling conservative VMRO-DPMNE is set to win a second 5-year term in office in the presidential runoff.

Ivanov was backed by 51.6% at the first round of the presidential elections on April 13, while his opponent Stevo Pendarovski from the Social Democrats won the support of 37.5% of the voters.

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, leader of VMRO-DPMNE, is hoping to win the early elections and to secure a majority in the 123-seat Parliament.

Parliament was dissolved in early March after the multi-ethnic ruling coalition failed to reach agreement on a common nominee for the presidential elections.

Macedonia was scheduled to hold regular parliamentary elections in 2015.