Initial Pendarovski lead due to Cuban style, near – unanimous voting in Albanian districts

With a little over 55 percent of the votes counted, Stevo Pendarovski has a lead over Gordana Siljanovska by about 50.000 votes – 236.000 to 182.000.

As the electoral map, updated constantly by the State Electoral Commission shows, Pendarovski’s margin is built up in the ethnic Albanian parts of Macedonia, while the majority Macedonian municipalities vote overwhelmingly for Siljanovska.

Some of the Albanian districts have reported early, and this is contributing to Pendarovski’s lead over Siljanovska. Many of the majority Albanian towns and villages report Cuban style near-unanimous results.

Lipkovo: Pendarovski – 934 Siljanovska – 6

Aracinovo: Pendarovski – 1.396 Siljanovska – 35

Studenicani: Pendarovski – 1.915 Siljanovska – 87

Saraj: Pendarovski – 2.323 Siljanovska – 151

The breakdown is easily visible on the electoral map. The western municipalities of Macedonia where Albanians are a majority or a significant minority, are either blue or dark blue, while the majority Macedonian areas are overwhelmingly red.