Presidential election in the North of Macedonia is characterised by renaming

Two months after the settlement of the name dispute with Greece's Northern Macedonia elects a new President. The country is on the path to NATO and wants to join the EU - in spite of the issue of the name dispute continues to dominate.

By Andrea Beer, ARD-Studio Vienna

It is the first election after the highly controversial renaming of the country in the North of Macedonia and is thus an important test. Two men and the first woman to ascend to the presidency and all the powers of the election campaign to the last.

With Stevo Pendarovski supported by the social democratic government led by Zoran Zaev for the first Time a candidate, the Albanian coalition partner DUI officially. The 56-year-old University Professor, according to polls at 27% and is the favorite. Also, the Translator Marija Mitewa vote for Pendarovski: "I think he will bring the country forward in the direction of the EU and NATO."

NATO-is Entering is already running, and the North of Macedonia hopes that the longed-for start of accession negotiations with the European Union. The reward for the Prespa agreement with Greece, the decade-long name dispute with the southern neighbour, and enclosed. This is absolutely correct, Pendarovski at the edge of an electoral event in Prostip, but he knows that The country is polarized.