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Macedonians vote for president in test for ruling party

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Macedonians held presidential polls Sunday in a key test for the ruling party as it seeks to steer the Balkan country towards EU and NATO membership and resolve a long-running dispute over its name.

The vote for the largely ceremonial post is seen as a bellwether for the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party's prospects in early general elections later this month.

Incumbent President Gjorge Ivanov is bidding for a second five-year term, saying he will push ahead with efforts to integrate Macedonia into the European Union and NATO -- seen as crucial to addressing the ailing economy in which monthly salaries average just 350 euros ($480) and a quarter of the population is out of work.

"We will keep on working on our strategic goals," Ivanov said.

The last opinion polls put him comfortably ahead of his three challengers, with around 30 percent support.

- Name dispute with Greece -

His main rival, Stevo Pendarovski, who was lagging at 16 percent in the last polls, had tried to shift the focus of campaigning towards a row with neighbouring Greece over Macedonia's name.

Greece has a northern province also called Macedonia, and the two countries have been at loggerheads over the right to the use of the name ever since the former Yugoslav republic proclaimed independence in 1991.

The Macedonia opposition says the issue is hampering economic and political development in the country, an EU candidate since 2005.

Athens worries it could imply a claim on its territory, and the Greeks also accuse Skopje of trying to usurp the heritage of the ancient Macedonians and stake a claim to the heritage of Alexander the Great.

The row has stymied Macedonia's efforts to join both NATO and the EU. Attempts by the United Nations to mediate the dispute has so far been fruitless.

The opposition forced the early parliamentary elections on April 27, accusing the ruling party of failing to pass necessary reforms.

- 'Empty promises' -

Although growth is expected to reach 3.0 percent this year, Macedonia was hit hard by the economic crisis in neighbouring Greece, leaving many voters disillusioned with the political class.

"I am sick of all of them, who just give us empty promises, while only worrying about protecting their jobs," said 62-year old pensioner Ibrahim Veli.

Others, such as 28-year-old nurse Ljubica Ilieva, still have faith in Ivanov.

"He is calm and clear on what we can expect. Other candidates are new and we are not sure what they offer," Ilieva said.

The leader of the VMRO-DPMNE, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who has been in power since 2011, is expected to return to power later this month.

The most recent survey had the party winning 59 of the 123 seats in the Macedonian parliament, with the opposition clinching 36 seats.

The party shares power with the Democratic Union for Integration, which represents the ethnic Albanians who make up some 25 percent of the population.

Relations between Macedonians and ethnic Albanians have been strained since the end of a seven-month conflict in 2001 that pitted the country's armed forces against ethnic Albanian rebels.

At least 40 percent of voters must cast their ballots in order for the presidential polls to be valid.

Electoral officials said 41.2 percent of some 1.7 million eligible voters had cast their ballots by 1600 GMT, an hour before the polls were to close.

If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the votes cast in Sunday's first round, the two top rivals will go head-to-head in a run-off on April 27, when the parliamentary elections will also be held.

Preliminary results were expected later Sunday.

Macedonians held presidential polls Sunday in a key test for the ruling party as it seeks to steer the Balkan country towards EU and NATO membership and resolve a long-running dispute over its name.

The vote for the largely ceremonial post is seen as a bellwether for the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party’s prospects in early general elections later this month.

Incumbent President Gjorge Ivanov is bidding for a second five-year term, saying he will push ahead with efforts to integrate Macedonia into the European Union and NATO — seen as crucial to addressing the ailing economy in which monthly salaries average just 350 euros ($480) and a quarter of the population is out of work.

“We will keep on working on our strategic goals,” Ivanov said.

The last opinion polls put him comfortably ahead of his three challengers, with around 30 percent support.

– Name dispute with Greece –

His main rival, Stevo Pendarovski, who was lagging at 16 percent in the last polls, had tried to shift the focus of campaigning towards a row with neighbouring Greece over Macedonia’s name.

Greece has a northern province also called Macedonia, and the two countries have been at loggerheads over the right to the use of the name ever since the former Yugoslav republic proclaimed independence in 1991.

The Macedonia opposition says the issue is hampering economic and political development in the country, an EU candidate since 2005.

Athens worries it could imply a claim on its territory, and the Greeks also accuse Skopje of trying to usurp the heritage of the ancient Macedonians and stake a claim to the heritage of Alexander the Great.

The row has stymied Macedonia’s efforts to join both NATO and the EU. Attempts by the United Nations to mediate the dispute has so far been fruitless.

The opposition forced the early parliamentary elections on April 27, accusing the ruling party of failing to pass necessary reforms.

– ‘Empty promises’ –

Although growth is expected to reach 3.0 percent this year, Macedonia was hit hard by the economic crisis in neighbouring Greece, leaving many voters disillusioned with the political class.

“I am sick of all of them, who just give us empty promises, while only worrying about protecting their jobs,” said 62-year old pensioner Ibrahim Veli.

Others, such as 28-year-old nurse Ljubica Ilieva, still have faith in Ivanov.

“He is calm and clear on what we can expect. Other candidates are new and we are not sure what they offer,” Ilieva said.

The leader of the VMRO-DPMNE, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who has been in power since 2011, is expected to return to power later this month.

The most recent survey had the party winning 59 of the 123 seats in the Macedonian parliament, with the opposition clinching 36 seats.

The party shares power with the Democratic Union for Integration, which represents the ethnic Albanians who make up some 25 percent of the population.

Relations between Macedonians and ethnic Albanians have been strained since the end of a seven-month conflict in 2001 that pitted the country’s armed forces against ethnic Albanian rebels.

At least 40 percent of voters must cast their ballots in order for the presidential polls to be valid.

Electoral officials said 41.2 percent of some 1.7 million eligible voters had cast their ballots by 1600 GMT, an hour before the polls were to close.

If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the votes cast in Sunday’s first round, the two top rivals will go head-to-head in a run-off on April 27, when the parliamentary elections will also be held.

Preliminary results were expected later Sunday.

AFP
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