The new President of the Republic of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, refused to pronounce her country's new official name at her swearing-in ceremony on Sunday.
"I declare that I will perform the office of President of Macedonia dutifully and responsibly, that I will respect the constitution and laws and protect Macedonia's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence," Siljanovska-Davkova declared at the ceremony.
The official text does mention the constitutional name of North Macedonia – the name that was agreed upon with Greece in the Prespa Agreement in 2018, when the former accepted to add the geographical designation ‘North’ to Macedonia to end a dispute with the latter, which blocked its accession to NATO and the EU.
Siljanovska-Davkova was running for the right-wing nationalist party VMRO-DMPNE, which opposed that agreement and never really digested the name change.
President 'of all citizens'
On 8 May, Siljanovska-Davkova beat the outgoing head of state, Social Democrat Stevo Pendarovski, in the second round of the Presidential Election with 65% of the votes. VMRO-DMPNE also won the parliamentary elections.
Siljanovska-Davkova, a retired professor who celebrated her 71st birthday on Saturday, assured that she will be president "of all citizens" and launched a call for "unity" in the country.
The political victory of the right-wing opposition raises fears of a resurgence of tensions not only with Greece, but also with Bulgaria, which is also setting its own conditions as part of North Macedonia's EU accession negotiations.
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Following the ceremony, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took to social media to congratulate Siljanovska-Davkova "on becoming the first female President of North Macedonia" and stressed that her Presidency comes at a crucial time, "as your country advances its reforms and continues on its path towards the EU."
However, she later added that if North Macedonia aims to continue "its successful path" on EU accession, "it is paramount that the country continues on the path of reforms and full respect for its binding agreements, including the Prespa Agreement."
