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President of the Republic of North Macedonia
Coat of arms of the President of North Macedonia.svg
Presidential coat of arms
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova in 2025 (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova

since 12 May 2024
Residence Villa Vodno
Appointer Direct election
Term length Five years,
renewable once
Constituting instrument Constitution of North Macedonia (1991)
Formation 16 April 1991; 34 years ago (1991-04-16)
First holder Kiro Gligorov
Salary 17,250 USD annually
Website pretsedatel.mk


The president of the Republic of North Macedonia is the head of state of North Macedonia. This means they are the official leader and symbol of the country. The president's title in Macedonian is Macedonian: Претседател на Република Северна Македонија and in Albanian is Albanian: Presidenti i Republikës së Maqedonisë së Veriut.

This important job was created just before North Macedonia became an independent country on September 8, 1991. The first president was Kiro Gligorov. He was the oldest political leader in Macedonia at the time.

Even though the president is the head of state, most of the government's power is held by the prime minister and the Assembly (which is like the parliament). However, the president is the leader of the armed forces. They also play a key role in how North Macedonia deals with other countries.

To become president, a person must be a citizen of North Macedonia. They also need to be over 40 years old. Plus, they must have lived in North Macedonia for at least ten of the past fifteen years before the election.

How the President is Chosen

The president of North Macedonia is chosen through a special election system. It's called a modified two-round system. Here's how it works:

First Round of Voting

A candidate can win in the first round if they get more than 50% of the votes from all registered voters. This is a high number to reach.

Second Round of Voting

If no one wins in the first round, the top two candidates go to a second round. For the result of this second round to be valid, at least 40% of registered voters must participate.

Before 2009, the rules were a bit different. The constitution used to require 50% of voters to turn out in the second round. But this rule was changed because fewer people were voting. The government worried that elections might often be canceled if not enough people voted. So, in January 2009, the rule was changed to 40%. In the 2009 Macedonian presidential election that happened after this change, about 42.6% of voters participated in the second round.

History of the Presidency

Before 1991, when North Macedonia was part of Yugoslavia, the country had a group of leaders instead of one president. This group was called a collective presidency.

Becoming an Independent Presidency

In 1990, North Macedonia changed from a socialist system to a parliamentary democracy. This meant they would have one president instead of a group. Kiro Gligorov became the first president of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia on January 27, 1991.

A few months later, on April 16, 1991, the parliament removed the word "Socialist" from the country's name. On June 7, the new name, Republic of Macedonia, became official. Kiro Gligorov continued as president under this new name.

After Yugoslavia started to break apart, the Republic of Macedonia declared full independence on September 8, 1991.

Changes in Presidential Power

When North Macedonia first became independent, the president had a lot of power. They controlled the military and were the main person in charge of foreign policy. Presidents like Gligorov and Boris Trajkovski were the main representatives of the new country abroad.

However, things changed after the 2001 Ohrid Agreement. This agreement was made to help reduce tensions between different ethnic groups in the country. As a result, new rules were added to the constitution on November 16, 2001. These changes gave more rights to the Albanian-speaking minority. They also took away some of the president's executive power.

After these changes, the prime minister became more responsible for foreign policy. Presidents like Trajkovski and Branko Crvenkovski respected this new arrangement. Over time, the president's role became more ceremonial, focusing on official duties rather than leading the government directly.

In 2009, Gjorge Ivanov became president. He was re-elected in 2014. Later, in 2016, there were protests and calls for Ivanov's impeachment due to his actions during a political crisis.

In 2019, Stevo Pendarovski became president. During a short period in 2020, when the prime minister resigned, President Pendarovski took on a more active leadership role, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, when the prime minister returned, Pendarovski went back to his more ceremonial duties.

The current president is Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova. She took office on May 12, 2024.

List of Presidents

Socialist Republic of Macedonia

Parties

      KPM/SKM       Independent

Status

     Acting President

No. Portrait Name
(Birth-Death)
Term of office Political party
President of Initiatory Committee for the Anti-fascist Assembly for the National Liberation of Macedonia
(ASNOM)

1943–1944
1 Čento-vsv.jpg Metodija Andonov-Čento
(1902–1957)
1 October 1943 2 August 1944 KPM
Chairman of the Anti-fascist Assembly for the National Liberation of Macedonia
(ASNOM)

1944–1945
Čento-vsv.jpg Metodija Andonov-Čento
(1902–1957)
2 August 1944 1 January 1945 KPM
Presidents of the Presidium of the People's Assembly
1945–1953
Čento-vsv.jpg Metodija Andonov-Čento
(1902–1957)
1 January 1945 15 March 1946 KPM
No image.png Dimitar Nestorov
(1890–1968)
16 March 1946 30 December 1946 KPM
2 Богоја Фотев.jpg Blagoja Fotev
(1900–1993)
1947 4 January 1951 KPM
Vidoe Smilevski.jpg Vidoe Smilevski
(1915–1979)
4 January 1951 1953 KPM
Presidents of the People's Assembly
1953–1974
3 No image.png Dimče Stojanov
(1910–1991)
1953 19 December 1953 SKM
4 Lazar Koliševski, foto.jpg Lazar Koliševski
(1914–2000)
19 December 1953 26 June 1962 SKM
5 Ljupčo Arsov.jpg Ljupčo Arsov
(1910–1986)
26 June 1962 24 June 1963 SKM
6 Vidoe Smilevski.jpg Vidoe Smilevski
(1915–1979)
25 June 1963 12 May 1967 SKM
7 No image.png Mito Hadživasilev
(1921–1968)
12 May 1967 1 August 1968 SKM
8 Nikola Minčev (cropped).jpg Nikola Minčev
(1915–1997)
23 December 1968 6 May 1974 SKM
Presidents of the Presidency
1974–1991
9 Vidoe Smilevski.jpg Vidoe Smilevski
(1915–1979)
6 May 1974 31 October 1979 SKM
10 Ljupčo Arsov.jpg Ljupčo Arsov
(1910–1986)
31 October 1979 29 April 1982 SKM
11 Ангел Чемерски.jpg Angel Čemerski
(1923–2005)
29 April 1982 29 April 1983 SKM
12 No image.png Blagoja Taleski
(1924–2001)
29 April 1983 29 April 1984 SKM
13 No image.png Tome Bukleski
(1921–2018)
29 April 1984 26 April 1985 SKM
14 No image.png Vančo Apostolski
(1925–2008)
26 April 1985 28 April 1986 SKM
Матеја Матевски.jpg Mateja Matevski
(1929–2018)
28 April 1986 30 April 1986 SKM
15 No image.png Dragoljub Stavrev
(1932–2003)
30 April 1986 May 1988 SKM
16 Ezdimir Bogdanski.png Jezdimir Bogdanski
(1930–2007)
May 1988 28 April 1990 SKM
17 No image.png Vladimir Mitkov
(1931–2024)
28 April 1990 27 January 1991 SKM
18 Киро Глигоров 03 (28-01-1993) 2.jpg Kiro Gligorov
(1917–2012)
27 January 1991 18 September 1991 Independent

Republic of Macedonia / North Macedonia

Parties

      LPM       DA       VMRO-DPMNE       SDSM       Independent

Status

     Acting president

No. Portrait Name
(Birth-Death)
Term of office Political party Election
Took office Left office Time in office
1
Kiro Gligorov
Kiro Gligorov
(1917–2012)
18 September 1991 4 October 1995 4 years, 16 days SDSM 1994
Stojan Andov
Stojan Andov
(1935–2024)
Acting
4 October 1995 10 January 1996 98 days LPM
(1)
Kiro Gligorov
Kiro Gligorov
(1917–2012)
10 January 1996 19 November 1999 3 years, 313 days SDSM
Savo Klimovski
Savo Klimovski
(born 1947)
Acting
19 November 1999 15 December 1999 26 days DA
2
Boris Trajkovski
Boris Trajkovski
(1956–2004)
15 December 1999 26 February 2004 † 4 years, 73 days VMRO-DPMNE 1999
Ljupčo Jordanovski
Ljupčo Jordanovski
(1953–2010)
Acting
26 February 2004 12 May 2004 76 days SDSM
3
Branko Crvenkovski
Branko Crvenkovski
(born 1962)
12 May 2004 12 May 2009 5 years SDSM 2004
4
Gjorge Ivanov
Gjorge Ivanov
(born 1960)
12 May 2009 12 May 2019 10 years VMRO-DPMNE 2009
2014
5
Stevo Pendarovski
Stevo Pendarovski
(born 1963)
12 May 2019 12 May 2024 5 years SDSM 2019
6
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova
(born 1953)
12 May 2024 Incumbent 1 year, 76 days VMRO-DPMNE 2024

Timeline of Presidents

Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova Stevo Pendarovski Gjorge Ivanov Branko Crvenkovski Ljupčo Jordanovski Boris Trajkovski Savo Klimovski Stojan Andov Kiro Gligorov Vladimir Mitkov Jezdimir Bogdanski Dragoljub Stavrev Mateja Matevski Vančo Apostolski Tome Bukleski Blagoja Taleski Angel Čemerski Nikola Minčev Mito Hadživasilev Ljupčo Arsov Lazar Koliševski Dimče Stojanov Vidoe Smilevski Blagoja Fotev Dimitar Nestorov Metodija Andonov-Čento

Latest Election

2024 North Macedonian presidential election

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Presidente de Macedonia del Norte para niños

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