President of North Macedonia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids President of the Republic of North Macedonia
Presidential coat of arms
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		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
		Metodija Andonov-Čento (1902–1957)	2 August 1944	1 January 1945	KPM
		Presidents of the Presidium of the People's Assembly 1945–1953
		Metodija Andonov-Čento (1902–1957)	1 January 1945	15 March 1946	KPM
—		Dimitar Nestorov (1890–1968)	16 March 1946	30 December 1946	KPM
2		Blagoja Fotev (1900–1993)	1947	4 January 1951	KPM
—		Vidoe Smilevski (1915–1979)	4 January 1951	1953	KPM
Presidents of the People's Assembly 1953–1974
3		Dimče Stojanov (1910–1991)	1953	19 December 1953	SKM
4		Lazar Koliševski (1914–2000)	19 December 1953	26 June 1962	SKM
5		Ljupčo Arsov (1910–1986)	26 June 1962	24 June 1963	SKM
6		Vidoe Smilevski (1915–1979)	25 June 1963	12 May 1967	SKM
7		Mito Hadživasilev (1921–1968)	12 May 1967	1 August 1968	SKM
8		Nikola Minčev (1915–1997)	23 December 1968	6 May 1974	SKM
Presidents of the Presidency 1974–1991
9		Vidoe Smilevski (1915–1979)	6 May 1974	31 October 1979	SKM
10		Ljupčo Arsov (1910–1986)	31 October 1979	29 April 1982	SKM
11		Angel Čemerski (1923–2005)	29 April 1982	29 April 1983	SKM
12		Blagoja Taleski (1924–2001)	29 April 1983	29 April 1984	SKM
13		Tome Bukleski (1921–2018)	29 April 1984	26 April 1985	SKM
14		Vančo Apostolski (1925–2008)	26 April 1985	28 April 1986	SKM
—		Mateja Matevski (1929–2018)	28 April 1986	30 April 1986	SKM
15		Dragoljub Stavrev (1932–2003)	30 April 1986	May 1988	SKM
16		Jezdimir Bogdanski (1930–2007)	May 1988	28 April 1990	SKM
17		Vladimir Mitkov (1931–2024)	28 April 1990	27 January 1991	SKM
18		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 (1917–2012)	18 September 1991	4 October 1995	4 years, 16 days	SDSM	1994
–		Stojan Andov (1935–2024) Acting	4 October 1995	10 January 1996	98 days	LPM	—
(1)		Kiro Gligorov (1917–2012)	10 January 1996	19 November 1999	3 years, 313 days	SDSM	–
–		Savo Klimovski (born 1947) Acting	19 November 1999	15 December 1999	26 days	DA	—
2		Boris Trajkovski (1956–2004)	15 December 1999	26 February 2004 †	4 years, 73 days	VMRO-DPMNE	1999
–		Ljupčo Jordanovski (1953–2010) Acting	26 February 2004	12 May 2004	76 days	SDSM	—
3		Branko Crvenkovski (born 1962)	12 May 2004	12 May 2009	5 years	SDSM	2004
4		Gjorge Ivanov (born 1960)	12 May 2009	12 May 2019	10 years	VMRO-DPMNE	2009 2014
5		Stevo Pendarovski (born 1963)	12 May 2019	12 May 2024	5 years	SDSM	2019
6		Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova (born 1953)	12 May 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 76 days	VMRO-DPMNE	2024

Timeline of Presidents

Latest Election

2024 North Macedonian presidential election

See also

In Spanish: Presidente de Macedonia del Norte para niños

• Vice President of North Macedonia
• Prime Minister of North Macedonia
• List of presidents of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia