Presidential election ballots will not have the words “North Macedonia”, voters will merely elect a “President of the State”

State Electoral Commission President Oliver Derkovski informed today that the ballot papers at the coming presidential elections will not bear the name of the country, and that voters will elect a “President of the state”.

This comes as President Gjorge Ivanov is using the name Republic of Macedonia and presents himself as the President of the Republic of Macedonia, while Zoran Zaev’s Government is using the name “Republic of North Macedonia”.

The elections are likely to be confrontation between a candidate who opposes the Prespa treaty, and the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party has nominated Gordana Siljanovka in this role, and a pro-Government candidate to be named later, who would likely defend the renaming of the country.