North Macedonia holds elections dominated by the country’s path to EU membership and corruption

By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES
Associated Press

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Voters in North Macedonia are casting ballots in a parliamentary election and a presidential runoff. The issues dominating the campaign period have been the country’s stalled negotiations to join the European Union, tackling corruption and improving the country’s struggling economy. The April 24 first round of the election for president, which is a largely ceremonial post, was seen as a barometer for the parliamentary election. It gave a clear lead to Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, the candidate backed by the center-right opposition, over incumbent Stevo Pendarovski, who is supported by the governing center-left coalition. The center-right opposition has been leading in opinion polls in the run-up to the vote.