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Election Date: April 28, 2004

At Stake: President

Background

On Mar. 9, parliament speaker and interim president Ljubco Jordanovski established Apr. 14 as the date for the extraordinary presidential election in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The vote was called after the untimely demise of president Boris Trajkovski, who died in a plane crash on Feb. 26.

Trajkovski was the second president since Macedonia attained its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. The politician, elected to office in a run-off in 1999 as the candidate of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization - Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE), advocated for closer continental ties. The fatal accident happened on the same day the country was to submit a formal application to join the European Union (EU).

Macedonia has been split along ethnic lines since it was a part of Yugoslavia. In 2001, the country came close to a civil war, as representatives of the ethnic Albanian minority became engaged in a series of violent battles that forced many residents to flee. The conflict ended with a new constitution, which guarantees Albanian rights.

The country's name continues to be a matter of debate, as Greece expressed concerns over future territorial claims to one of its provinces, which is also known as Macedonia. Despite the controversy, the two countries signed a trade accord in 1995.

Before Trajkovski's death, the government was administered by a coalition headed by Branko Crvenkovski, who had acted as prime minister from 1992 to 1998. The agreement included the Social Democratic League of Macedonia (SDSM), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI), an ethnic Albanian party led by former rebel Ali Ahmeti.

In order to become presidential candidates, citizens had to either secure the backing of at least 30 lawmakers in the 120-seat Assembly, or compile 10,000 signatures from supporters.

The ruling SDSM has nominated prime minister Crvenkovski as its candidate. Crvenkovski officially filed Macedonia's EU papers in Dublin on Mar. 22.

The VMRO-DMPNE presented Sasko Kedev as the official nominee. Kedev vowed to honour the memory of Trajkovski. Fellow party member and former interior minister Ljube Boskovski expressed his intention to run as an independent, but was barred by the State Election Commission on Mar. 25 because he has not lived in the country for the past 10 years.

Two candidates from Albanian parties—Gezim Ostreni of the BDI and the Democratic Prosperity Party (PPD), and Zedi Xhelili of the Democratic Party of Albanians (PDSH)—also announced their participation in the race.

Voting went on without any major problems on Apr. 14. Preliminary results released by the State Election Commission pointed to a run-off. The SDSM's Crvenkovski received 42.47 per cent of all cast ballots, followed by the VMRO-DPMNE's Kedev with 34.07 per cent. The two ethnic Albanian candidates were third and fourth. Ostreni got 14.79 per cent of the vote, while Xhelili garnered 8.67 per cent.

Representatives from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said the election was largely consistent with international standards, aside from some isolated irregularities.

The run-off took place on Apr. 28. Both candidates pledged to bring international investors to Macedonia, and find ways to deal with the country's 40 per cent unemployment rate. Crvenkovski was declared the winner with 62.7 per cent of the vote. Turnout was tabled at 53 per cent.

Fredrich Bauer of the OSCE said the second round of voting was "marred by serious irregularities" including instances ballot stuffing. The unlawful incidents were not widespread enough to suggest that the outcome of the election would have been affected, and the OSCE referred to the process as "generally democratic."

On May 12, Crvenkovski officially became president. Members of the VMRO-DPMNE and the PDSH were absent from the inauguration ceremony. Lawmakers from both political organizations have alleged that fraudulent activities took place during the run-off.

On May 14, the president appointed fellow SDSM member and former internal affairs minister Hari Kostov as Macedonia's new prime minister.

On Jun. 1, the Assembly approved Kostov's nomination as prime minister. The new government was formed by the Social Democratic League of Macedonia (SDSM), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI).

On Nov. 18, Kostov resigned and was replaced by Radmila Sekerinska on an interim basis.

On Dec. 10, prime minister minister-designate Vlado Buckovski presented his cabinet choices, which include Jovan Manasievski as the country's new defence minister and Ljubomir Mihajlovski in the interior portfolio. Foreign minister Ilinka Mitreva and finance minister Nikola Popovski will keep their posts.

The Assembly confirmed the government on Dec. 17.

Political Players

President: Branko Crvenkovski - SDSM
Prime minister: Vlado Buckovski - SDSM

The president is elected to a five-year term by popular vote.

Legislative Branch: The Sobranie (Assembly) has 120 members, elected to four-year terms; 85 members are elected in single-seat constituencies, and 35 members are elected by proportional representation.

Results of Last Election:

President - Apr. 14 and Apr. 28, 2004

Assembly - Sept. 15, 2002

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