North Macedonia

The resounding victory of the conservative candidate Gordana Siljanovska (41,2% to 20,5%) over outgoing president Stevo Pendarovski, supported by Socialist Party, in the first round of the presidential elections reflects a general rising nationalist trend

Ahead of the double parliamentary and presidential elections, the main opposition VMRO DPMNE party, which is expected to win the elections, wants to eliminate the mechanism that imposes quotas on ethnic minority employees in the public sector

The presidential election campaign has officially opened; among the candidates, some promise EU membership, some want to make North Macedonia proud and restore its dignity and others promise an uncompromising fight against corruption and crime

Bureaucratic delays after the country's name dispute have left nearly a quarter of the population without passports, as in February only 1,3 million new passports had been issued due to incorrect implementation

After banning state media funding and fixing it by law, the country's Social Democratic government has completely reversed course on media reforms over seven years: newspapers have received a formal guarantee that they will continue to receive subsidies

FDI inflows to North Macedonia amounted to €616,7m in 2023, 17% less than the previous year, according to data from the central bank

According to the World Population Review, North Macedonia and Albania had the lowest average IQ in Europe, 81,91 and 81,75 respectively

As of Wednesday, the exchange of driving licences and vehicle registration certificates will be free of charge due to the obligation under the Prespa Agreement

Five people from the country's leading cancer clinic, including two former directors, are suspected of having illicitly purchased expensive cancer drugs, some of which potentially ended up on the black market

The North Macedonian energy regulator stated that it has issued licences for electricity production from renewable sources with a total installed capacity of almost 399 MW in 2023, an increase of 160% on 2022

A floating solar plant will be installed within the national irrigation network, with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management signing a contract with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain and the consulting company Globatek

North Macedonia weathered a series of ethnically-charged incidents in 2023, a relatively calm period despite economic hardships, and opens 2024 with the prospect of a politician from the country’s ethnic Albanian minority becoming prime minister