Candidates in North Macedonia presidential election cast their ballots

(8 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Skopje, North Macedonia - 8 May 2024
1. Presidential candidate Stevo Pendarovski entering polling station and registering
2. Sign showing North Macedonia flag and station number
3. Various of Pendarovski voting and leaving
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Stevo Pendarovski, presidential candidate from SDSM:
"I believe that the election day has been transparent and calm. I suppose that it will continue that way by the end of the electoral day, that means by 7 pm. There is no other reason to believe that there are going to be some big disturbances, because we are for three and a half decades almost in democracy and obviously we have learned some democratic lessons in the meantime. If you are asking me about the eventual turnout of 40%, I think that despite all the obstructions which are already in place and visible in some parts of the country, I think that we are going to reach that 40% of threshold and we will have the credible winner at the end of the day."
5. Various of presidential candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova voting
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, presidential candidate from VMRO-DPMNE party
"What I expect is to win the elections and even to get better results, that’s obvious. I expect votes from opposition, because it is so normal in political science the opposition to support opposition. I expect also additional votes from those neutral citizens or voters, those who are not members of the parties, who are not devoted to some parties, especially from women, because this will be something totally new. I am ashamed that after 30 years we have a chance to have a woman for the president and my question is why is it so. Why to tolerate this macho world?.”
7. Pan from camera to Siljanovska-Davkova addressing the media
STORYLINE:
Voters in North Macedonia are casting ballots in a parliamentary election and a presidential runoff.
The issues dominating the campaign period have been the country's stalled negotiations to join the European Union, tackling corruption and improving the country's struggling economy.
The April 24 first round of the election for president, which is a largely ceremonial post, was seen as a barometer for the parliamentary election.
It gave a clear lead to Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, the candidate backed by the center-right opposition, over incumbent Stevo Pendarovski, who is supported by the governing center-left coalition.
Siljanovska-Davkova garnered 41.2%, in the first round on April 24, compared to 20.5% for Pendarovski.
The two had also squared off in the previous election in 2019, when Pendarovski won with nearly 54% of the vote.
If she wins, Siljanovska-Davkova would be the country's first female president since it gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
Turnout in the runoff must be at least 40% for the result to be valid.
However, the two presidential candidates from the country's ethnic Albanian minority who did not manage to make it past the first round have said they will not back any candidate in the runoff.
Their stance was a signal to their supporters to refrain from voting on Wednesday, which could affect the turnout.
According to figures issued by the State Electoral Commission, turnout for the presidential runoff was visibly lower in ethnic Albanian community areas by midday.
If the overall turnout fails to reach the 40% threshold, the vote would have to be repeated.
AP video shot by Florent Bajrami and Sylejman Kllokoqi
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