Pro-Western candidate Pendarovski wins N. Macedonia presidential vote

North Macedonia’s pro-Western candidate, Stevo Pendarovski, has won a run-off presidential vote. The campaign was dominated by divisions over a change to the country’s name that was agreed to mollify Greece and open the way for EU and NATO membership, Reuters said.

“The victory of this concept brings a future for the republic of North Macedonia and it’s our ticket to Europe,” according to Pendarovski.

The State Election Commission results based on 99.5 percent the votes counted showed 51.7 percent of the votes going to Pendarovski, the candidate of the ruling coalition and a long-serving senior civil servant and academic.

His rival, the candidate of the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, got 44.7 percent of the votes. The turnout was 46.6 percent.