The 2014 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Macedonia: More of the Same
The 2014 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Macedonia: More of the Same

Summary/Abstract: In April 2014, Macedonia had both presidential and parliamentary elections. While the presidential elections were, indeed, scheduled for this time, the parliamentary elections were called early. The incumbent president, Gjorge Ivanov who is affiliated with the Internal Macedonian revolutionary organization – Democratic party for Macedonian national unity” (VMRODPMNE), became candidate on 1. March 2014; proclaiming that his campaign will be based on three principles: honesty, sincerity and values. Ivanov’s candidacy went against the demand of the ethnic Albanian, junior coalition partner, Democratic union for integration (DUI), who demanded from VMRODPMNE the appointment of a “joint consensual candidate.” In principle, the DUI demanded from the VMRO-DPMNE that an Albanian hold one of the three a key posts - president, prime minister or parliamentary speaker - something Gruevski’s party was not willing to agree upon. The parliament was dissolved on 5. March 2014 at the initiative of the DUI, but with the support of the VMRO-DPMNE. Thus, early parliamentary elections were scheduled together with the second round of the presidential election on 27. April 2014. The parliament is elected for a four-year term. Out of the 123 elected members, 120 are elected under a proportional representation system in 6 electoral districts. The remaining three are elected in a majoritarian system in three, out-of-country districts - Europe and Africa, North and South America, and Australia and Asia. No legal threshold is required for a party to enter the parliament. Votes are tabulated using the D'Hondt formula.1 At least 30 percent of the candidates on each party list must be of different gender.

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