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Parliamentary elections were held in North Macedonia on 8 May 2024. The slow pace of EU integration and corruption were the main issues during the campaign.[1]
The right-wing opposition coalition led by the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party decisively won the election receiving 45% of the vote and 58 seats which were three short of an outright majority. The incumbent center-left coalition led by the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia lost 28 seats and collapsed to 16% of the popular vote.[2] The second round of the 2024 presidential election was held on the same day which was also won by the VMRO-DPMNE candidate, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.[3][4]
Electoral system
North Macedonia's six constituencies
Of the 123 seats in the Assembly of the Republic (Sobranie), 120 are elected from six 20-seat constituencies in North Macedonia using closed listproportional representation, with seats allocated using the d'Hondt method. The remaining three seats are elected by Macedonians living abroad,[5] but are only filled if the number of votes exceeds that of the elected candidate with the fewest votes in North Macedonia in the previous election. If a list crosses this threshold, it wins one seat; to win two seats, a list needs to win twice the number of votes, and to win three seats the threshold is three times the number of votes. These seats were not filled in the 2016 elections due to insufficient turnout.[6]
For this election, more than 1,700 candidates were running for the Sobranie.[7]
Campaign
Among significant issues during the election was corruption. The opposition VMRO-DPMNE accused the ruling coalition of presiding over a "pandemic" of corruption in the country, while the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia, a member of the coalition, supported the confiscation of illegally acquired property from corrupt officials. The ruling government supported revising the Constitution to include recognition of a Bulgarian minority in North Macedonia, a condition set by Bulgaria to allow the country's accession to the European Union. The VMRO-DPMNE called the acceptance of such conditions a "capitulation" to Bulgaria. It has also expressed interest in forming a coalition government with the VLEN coalition comprising ethnic Albanian parties[7] but has ruled out entering into one with the Democratic Union for Integration, which is part of the ruling coalition and which it had called "corrupt".[8] The VMRO-DPMNE also pledged to create tens of thousands of jobs amid the country's sluggish economic situation, mass emigration and rising inflation.[9]
The election resulted in a landslide victory for the national conservativeVMRO-DPMNE and its Your Macedonia coalition, winning 58 seats in the Sobranie, just three shy of an outright majority. Their main rivals, the incumbent pro-European SDSM and its For a European Future coalition, ended up in distant third place, winning 18 seats, their worst ever result. All other parties and coalitions that won seats include: the European Front coalition with 18 seats and the VLEN Coalition with 14 seats (both representing national minorities), the left-wing nationalistThe Left with six seats, as well as the left-wing populistFor Our Macedonia Movement (ZNAM) with six seats.[10] Turnout was 55%. While initially allocated 19 and 13 seats respectively, following repollings in Ohrid, Struga and other areas on 22 May 2024 led to the European Front losing one seat in favor of the VLEN coalition allowing SDSM and its For a European Future coalition to become the second biggest group in the Assembly.[11]
Social Democrat leader Dimitar Kovačevski conceded defeat and announced that he would resign as party leader once a successor had been elected. VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski said that “the people have taught the government its most important lesson and saved their country" and pledged to hold into account “every last person who committed a crime and committed corruption".[3]
According to international observers, the elections were "competitive and an extensive and pluralistic campaign helped voters to make an informed choice, but marred by negative rhetoric with nationalistic slogans, as well as shortcomings in the legislation and insufficient oversight of campaign finances".[12]
On 6 June, Mickoski was formally asked by President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova to form the next government, after he had unveiled a coalition agreement with the VLEN Coalition and For Our Macedonia (ZNAM).[13] The investiture vote for Mickoski took place on 24 June, with 77 votes in favor, 22 against and 21 absent.[14] The cabinet is expected to have 24 members, of which sixteen from the VMRO-DPMNE-led coalition Your Macedonia, six from the VLEN coalition block of Albanian opposition parties, and two from ZNAM.[15]
Reactions
Hungary — Prime Minister Viktor Orbán congratulated the VMRO-DPMNE on its "well-deserved and historic victory" in the presidential and parliamentary elections.[16] Orban added that he looked forward to working together on giving North Macedonia a "new momentum to the EU accession process".[17]
United States — Ambassador Angela Aggeler expressed her congratulations "to all those citizens who exercised their right to vote in the presidential and parliamentary elections."[18]
Notes
^In early 2024 two factions emerged within ASh. A faction led by incumbent leader Arben Taravari intended to join VLEN and he later became the coalition's presidential candidate, while a faction led by former leader Ziadin Sela eventually joined the European Front coalition. Both wings of the party held conferences and elected their respective leader as party chairman. The Macedonian electoral commission lists ASh as a member of VLEN, while a court decision ruled that Sela is the official party leader. The decision is being appealed.
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