First female president takes office

Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, the winner of the second round of the presidential election held in North Macedonia on May 8, has taken office as the country's first female president.

A special session was held in the North Macedonia Assembly for Siljanovska Davkova's swearing-in ceremony.

The session was attended by high-level representatives from the judiciary and executive branches, religious leaders, and foreign ambassadors, including Turkey's Ambassador to Skopje, Fatih Ulusoy.

In her speech at the session, Siljanovska Davkova stated that she would fulfill the duties of the President of Macedonia consciously and responsibly, saying, "I will respect the Constitution and the laws, and I will protect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Macedonia."

Siljanovska Davkova emphasized that she would be the president for everyone without any discrimination, and said she aims to inspire women in the Balkans and in her country, where she noted that patriarchy still exists.

DID NOT USE CONSTITUTIONAL NAME

While it was noted that the new president did not use the country's constitutional name, "North Macedonia," Greece's Ambassador to Skopje, Sophia Philippidou, left the General Assembly Hall where the session was held while the speech was ongoing.

The Prespa Agreement was signed between North Macedonia and Greece in June 2018, after which the country's name, formerly Macedonia, was changed to "North Macedonia." Thus, with Greece lifting its veto, the path to the country's NATO membership was opened.

Following the session in the Assembly, Siljanovska Davkova took over the office from former president Stevo Pendarovski at the handover ceremony held at the Presidential Palace.

RECEIVED 64.14 PERCENT OF THE VOTES

The second round of the presidential election was held in North Macedonia on May 8.

Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, supported by the alliance led by the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE), received 64.14 percent of the votes, while former President Stevo Pendarovski, supported by the alliance led by the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), received 29.25 percent of the votes.

WHO IS GORDANA SİLJANOVSKA DAVKOVA?

Born in the city of Ohrid in 1953, Siljanovska Davkova taught constitutional law and political systems at the state university's faculty of law for a period.

Having served as a member of the Parliamentary Constitutional Commission and as a minister of state between 1992 and 1994, Siljanovska Davkova held positions as a UN Election Expert, Vice-Chair of the Council of Europe's Group of Independent Experts on the European Charter of Local Self-Government, and a member of the Venice Commission.

Siljanovska Davkova, who was also a candidate in the presidential election held in the country in 2019, had lost the election in the second round.

Siljanovska Davkova had been serving as a member of parliament in the North Macedonia Assembly since 2020.