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
Formation	16 April 1991
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 the president is the official leader and representative of the country.

The job of president was created in 1991, just before North Macedonia became an independent country. 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 still very important! They are the leader of the country's armed forces. They also play a key role in dealing 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 last fifteen years before the election.

How the President is Elected

The president of North Macedonia is chosen through a special voting system. It's called a modified two-round system.

Here's how it works:

• In the first round, a candidate can only win if they get more than half (over 50%) of all registered voters' support. This is a high number!
• If no one wins in the first round, the top two candidates go to a second round of voting.
• For the second round's result to count, at least 40% of all registered voters must participate. If fewer people vote, the election might not be valid.

This 40% rule was changed in 2009. Before that, 50% of voters had to turn out in the second round. The change was made because fewer people were voting, and the government worried that presidential elections might often be cancelled.

A Look Back: History of Presidents

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

In 1991, the country decided to have a single president. Kiro Gligorov became the first president of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia. Soon after, the country changed its name to the Republic of Macedonia. Gligorov continued as president.

North Macedonia became fully independent on September 8, 1991. President Gligorov was a key figure during this time. Later, in 1995, he was hurt in an attack. While he recovered, Stojan Andov served as acting president for a few months.

After Gligorov finished his two terms, Boris Trajkovski became president in 1999. Sadly, Trajkovski passed away in 2004. Branko Crvenkovski then became president.

Gjorge Ivanov was elected president in 2009 and served two terms. He was followed by Stevo Pendarovski in 2019.

Over time, the president's powers have changed. At first, the president had a lot of power, especially over the military and foreign policy. They were the main person representing the country abroad.

However, after some important agreements in 2001, the president's executive powers were reduced. This meant that the prime minister and the government took on more of the day-to-day running of the country and foreign affairs.

More recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, President Pendarovski took on a more active role in leading the country during the State of Emergency. But when the prime minister returned, the president's role went back to its usual 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, 35 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