The three presidential candidates, Gordana Siljanovska Davkova from VMRO-DPMNE, Stevo Pendarovski from SDSM and DUI and Blerim Reka from the Alliance from Albanians and the Besa movement, faced off in the first presidential debate on TV Telma on Thursday.

Siljanovska Davkova compared Pendarovski with the merchant of Venice, probably referring to Shakespeare’s tragicomedy “The Merchant of Venice”, which portrays a greedy merchant and moneylender. Siljanovska Davkova explained that her ambition is to become the President of the Republic of Macedonia and that she has no other ambition.

I served two terms as Vice President of the group of independent experts on local self-government in the Council of Europe and I called for law, I served two terms as Vice President of the Commission on Minority Issues at the Venice Commission and there I pointed out the legal arguments, and you look like the merchant of Venice to me, Siljanovska Davkova said to Pendarovski.