(This April 21 story was corrected to reflect change of country’s name in headline and paragraphs 1, 2 and 20)

Presidential candidate of the ruling SDSM Stevo Pendarovski greets his supporters during a news conference in Skopje, North Macedonia, April 21, 2019. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

By Kole Casule

SKOPJE (Reuters) - North Macedonia’s pro-Western candidate, Stevo Pendarovski, and his main rival Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova emerged tied in the first round of a presidential vote dominated by deep divisions over a change of the country’s name under a deal with Greece.

The change, which Greece demanded to end what it called an implied territorial claim on its northern province of Macedonia, resolves a decades-old dispute and opens the door to North Macedonian membership of NATO and the European Union.

But the accord continues to divide Macedonians and has eclipsed all other issues during campaigning for Sunday’s election, in which about 1.8 million voters were able to chose among three candidates.

Results on the State Election Commission website based on 98 percent of the votes counted showed Pendarovski got 42.7 of the votes, while Siljanovska-Davkova had 42.5 percent of the votes.

The two will face a run-off on May 5, reflecting differences over the deal pushed through by the pro-Western government of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.

Blerim Reka, the candidate of the second largest Albanian party, came third with 10.4 percent of the votes.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT). The State Election Commission put turnout at 41.9 percent.

Both Zaev’s Social Democrats and the opposition VMRO-DPMNE proclaimed victory.

“I am convinced that in the second round we will have a European president of our state,” Zaev told journalists late on Sunday.

This election is about voting to move the country forward, he said.

“We won,” said Hristijan Mickoski, leader of the opposition VMRO-DPMNE, which supported Siljanovska-Davkova. VMRO-DPMNE opposed the deal with Greece.

Analysts said the low turnout was down to disillusion among voters at the government’s lack of progress in attracting foreign investment and tackling high unemployment.

“We need a new and better president, a nation’s father that will help move this country forward,” said Sonja Kjurcieva, a 49-year old housewife from Skopje.

“Together with the government they will bring us closer to Europe.”

The presidency has no authority to block constitutional amendments that were passed earlier this year by a two-thirds majority of parliament to enable the name change.

SHAPING THE FUTURE

Pendarovksi said the vote will be for how the country’s future will be shaped rather than a choice of president.

“I expect to win the elections and be the first woman president of Macedonia,” Siljanovska-Davkova said after casting her vote.

Slideshow (16 Images)

“I am a professor of European law, so I’ll respect (the agreement with Greece),” she said. “But I’ll do my best to show that some of the solutions are against our constitution.”

The presidency of the former Yugoslav republic is a mostly ceremonial post, but acts as the supreme commander of the armed forces and signs off on parliamentary legislation.

The refusal of outgoing nationalist President Gjeorge Ivanov to sign some bills passed by parliament has delayed the implementation of some key laws, including one on wider use of the Albanian language - 18 years after an ethnic Albanian uprising that pushed North Macedonia to the brink of civil war.</s>SKOPJE, North Macedonia — Polls opened early Sunday in North Macedonia for a presidential election seen as a key test for the government following the country's changing its name to end a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece over the use of the term "Macedonia".

More than 3,400 polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and will close at 7 p.m. (1700GMT).

Three university professors are vying for the largely ceremonial presidency post.

Gordana Siljanovska Davkova is backed by the main conservative opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, Stevo Pendarovski is a joint candidate of the ruling Social Democrats and 30 smaller parties, while Blerim Reka is supported by two small ethnic Albanian parties.

A candidate needs 50% plus one vote of the 1.8 million registered voters to win outright in the first round.</s>SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) - The Latest on the presidential election in North Macedonia (all times local):

Returns from North Macedonia's presidential election are giving an indication of which of the three candidates will compete in a runoff early next month.

The May 5 runoff is inevitable because the small European country's election law requires a candidate to get 50% plus one of registered voters, not just voters who cast ballots for president, to be elected in the first round. The state electoral commission reported the turnout Sunday was 39.26%.

With about half of polling stations reporting, Stevo Pendarovski and Gordana Siljanovska Davkova were in a close contest for the most support. Pendarovski, the joint candidate of the ruling Social Democrats and 30 other parties, held a slight lead, with 42.4% of the partial vote to Siljanovska's 41.1%.

The main conservative opposition VMRO-DPMNE party backed Siljanovska, the first woman to run for president in the country. .

Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, a presidential candidate for the opposition conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, talks to the media outside a polling station, after voting in the presidential elections, in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sunday, April 21, 2019. North Macedonia holds the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, seen as key test of the government following deep polarization after the country changed its name to end a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece over the use of the term "Macedonia". (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Blerim Reka, a candidate supported by two small ethnic Albanian political parties, had 12.3% of the early returns.

Polls opened early Sunday in North Macedonia for a presidential election seen as a key test for the government following the country's changing its name to end a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece over the use of the term "Macedonia".

More than 3,400 polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and will close at 7 p.m. (1700GMT).

Three university professors are vying for the largely ceremonial presidency post.

Gordana Siljanovska Davkova is backed by the main conservative opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, Stevo Pendarovski is a joint candidate of the ruling Social Democrats and 30 smaller parties, while Blerim Reka is supported by two small ethnic Albanian parties.

A candidate needs 50% plus one vote of the 1.8 million registered voters to win outright in the first round.

A couple cast their ballots for the presidential election at a polling station in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sunday, April 21, 2019. Polls were opened early on Sunday in North Macedonia for presidential elections seen as key test of the government following deep polarization after the country changed its name to end a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece over the use of the term "Macedonia". (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Stevo Pendarovski, presidential candidate of the ruling coalition led by the Social Democrats, talks to the media outside a polling station after voting in the presidential election in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sunday, April 21, 2019. North Macedonia holds the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, seen as key test of the government following deep polarization after the country changed its name to end a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece over the use of the term "Macedonia". (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)</s>SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — The Latest on the presidential election in North Macedonia (all times local): 9:55 p.m. Returns from North Macedonia’s presidential election are giving an indication of which of the three candidates…

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — The Latest on the presidential election in North Macedonia (all times local):

Returns from North Macedonia’s presidential election are giving an indication of which of the three candidates will compete in a runoff early next month.

The May 5 runoff is inevitable because the small European country’s election law requires a candidate to get 50% plus one of registered voters, not just voters who cast ballots for president, to be elected in the first round. The state electoral commission reported the turnout Sunday was 39.26%.

With about half of polling stations reporting, Stevo Pendarovski and Gordana Siljanovska Davkova were in a close contest for the most support. Pendarovski, the joint candidate of the ruling Social Democrats and 30 other parties, held a slight lead, with 42.4% of the partial vote to Siljanovska’s 41.1%.

The main conservative opposition VMRO-DPMNE party backed Siljanovska, the first woman to run for president in the country. .

Blerim Reka, a candidate supported by two small ethnic Albanian political parties, had 12.3% of the early returns.

Polls opened early Sunday in North Macedonia for a presidential election seen as a key test for the government following the country’s changing its name to end a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece over the use of the term “Macedonia”.

More than 3,400 polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and will close at 7 p.m. (1700GMT).

Three university professors are vying for the largely ceremonial presidency post.

Gordana Siljanovska Davkova is backed by the main conservative opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, Stevo Pendarovski is a joint candidate of the ruling Social Democrats and 30 smaller parties, while Blerim Reka is supported by two small ethnic Albanian parties.

A candidate needs 50% plus one vote of the 1.8 million registered voters to win outright in the first round.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>SKOPJE, North Macedonia — Voters in North Macedonia had another chance to give an opinion on their country’s new name as they cast ballots in a presidential election Sunday that was seen as a key test for the center-left government that negotiated the name change to end a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece.

Three university professors were vying for the largely ceremonial presidency. Outgoing President Gjorge Ivanov, who couldn’t seek re-election due to term limits, tried to derail or delay the deal with Greece. North Macedonia previously was known as Macedonia.

The name change, which took effect in February, put the former Yugoslav republic on the path to membership in NATO and the European Union. Greece had blocked the move for decades, asserting sole rights to the Macedonia name.

The deal emerged as the main campaign issue of Sunday’s presidential. The candidate who was backed by the main conservative opposition VMRO-DPMNE party has vowed to challenge the agreement in the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, a vocal opponent of the name deal, said that as a constitutional law professor who is devoted to the rule of law, she would “respect” the agreement, but also “will do my best to show that some of the solutions are against Macedonia’s Constitution and against...the norms of the United Nations.”

Stevo Pendarovski, the joint candidate of the ruling Social Democrats and 30 other parties, told reporters after he voted in the capital of Skopje that he expects North Macedonia to become a full member of NATO and the EU. He said he is a strong supporter of the deal with Greece that “fully preserves the national interest of both countries.”

Blerim Reka, a presidential candidate supported by two small ethnic Albanian political parties, expressed hope that North Macedonia will “prove that is ready for the start of the accession talks with the European Union.”

More than 3,400 polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and will close at 7 p.m. (1700GMT). By 1 p.m., turnout of the country’s 1.8 million registered voters was 20.45%, election authorities said. The public referendum on the name change also had low turnout.

A candidate needs 50% plus one vote to win the election outright. Heading into Sunday’s vote, a May 5 runoff was seen as all but certain.

More than 3,000 domestic and about 420 international observers were monitoring the election.

North Macedonia’s struggles include a stagnant economy, more than 20% unemployment and pervasive corruption. At least 400,000 people, most of them young, have left the country in the past decade.

Some residents hope for something better. Voter Stefan Kocevski said he expects the election to bring “positivity and change.”

“I expect the situation to change for us young people and also changes in the country, our living conditions to improve and to go forward toward European Union and NATO,” Kocevski said.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>North Macedonia's pro-Western candidate has narrowly won the first round of a presidential poll which comes amid deep divisions over the country's name change under a deal with Greece.

Stevo Pendarovski won with 42.6% of the votes, according to results on the State Election Commission website, which is based on 74% of counted votes.

Pendarovski's rival opposition candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova came second with 41.6% of the vote. They will face each other in a run-off vote on May 5.

However, the State election commission put voter turnout at just 39%.

Pendarovski is a candidate from the governing SDSM coalition and a former adviser on national security in the Presidential Cabinet. He has adopted the campaign slogan of 'Together Forward' and is attempting to mobilise support across the ethnic divides of North Macedonia.

Pendarovski is a firm supporter of the Prespa Agreement, the accord which saw the Republic of Macedonia become North Macedonia, which could see the country gaining membership in NATO and the EU.

His pro-European message is being countered by Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, the candidate from the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE. The University Professor is playing to a significant crowd of Macedonians who are against by the Prespa Agreement, adopting the slogan 'Justice for Macedonia'. She has called for the Prespa Agreement to be changed and has called it “degrading”.

However, analysts have said the low voter turnout on Sunday reflects the disillusion among young voters about the government's failure to tackle high unemployment and attract foreign investment.</s>SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Three candidates are vying for the presidency in North Macedonia, where voters go to the polls on Sunday for the first round of elections. The post is largely ceremonial, but…

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Three candidates are vying for the presidency in North Macedonia, where voters go to the polls on Sunday for the first round of elections.

The post is largely ceremonial, but the election is seen as a key test of the government following deep polarization after the country changed its name to end a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece over use of the term “Macedonia.”

Here is a look at the three candidates, all of whom are university professors:

Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, 63 — The first woman to run for president since the country declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Known for her love of yoga and rock-and-roll, Siljanovska, a constitutional law professor, first emerged as a non-partisan candidate promoted by her university. Her nomination is now supported by the main conservative opposition VMRO-DPMNE party.

Siljanovska campaigned under the slogan “Justice for Macedonia, fatherland calls.” She has been a vocal opponent of the deal with Greece that changed the country’s name to North Macedonia in return for Athens dropping its objections to the country joining NATO.

Siljanovska served as minister without portfolio in 1992-1994 in the first government after independence and participated in writing the country’s first constitution.

Stevo Pendarovski, 56 — A former national security adviser for two previous presidents and until recently national coordinator for NATO, this is Pendarovski’s second bid for the presidency after being defeated by outgoing President Gjorge Ivanov in 2014.

Pendarovski is running as the joint candidate for both the governing social democrats and the junior governing coalition partner, the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration party. His candidacy is also supported by 29 smaller political parties.

He is a strong defender of the name deal with Greece, arguing that it paved the way for the country to nearly finalize its NATO accession and led to hopes EU membership talks will begin in June.

His slogan “Forward Together” reflects his main campaign platform of unity, and he has made NATO and EU membership a key strategic goal, saying they will bring more foreign investment, will create jobs and higher wages and prevent young people leaving the country.

Blerim Reka, 58 — A soft-spoken international law professor who headed the country’s diplomatic mission to the EU from 2006-2010, the ethnic Albanian candidate was nominated by two small ethnic Albanian opposition parties, BESA and the Alliance of Albanians.

Reka chose “Reka for the Republic” as his campaign slogan, saying the concept of a “republic for all” is the most suitable for a multiethnic state. He has campaigned mainly in the larger ethnic Albanian communities. He advocates Northern Macedonia strengthen its multiethnic and multicultural characteristics, but insists the country must reform its “corrupt” administration and establish rule of law and an independent judiciary.

Reka also supports the name deal with Greece, saying the agreement ended a long-standing dispute and opened the doors for the country to join NATO and the EU.

No ethnic Albanian presidential candidate has ever made it to the second round of elections in the past. But the ethnic minority’s votes, which make up about a quarter of the country’s 2.1 million people, have proved crucial to the election of the president in the runoffs.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>SKOPJE, North Macedonia — Police say officers patrolling a main highway in North Macedonia found 58 migrants packed into a van and detained three men on suspicion of smuggling migrants.

Police said in a statement issued Sunday that the officers stopped the van on Saturday afternoon and arrested two Macedonian citizens and a third man from Kosovo.

The statement says 56 of the people packed inside the van were from Pakistan and two were from Syria.

Police say they were taken to a shelter in the southern town of Gevgelija, near the border with Greece and will be deported.

They allege the migrants entered North Macedonia illegally from Greece and were to be transported north to Serbia's border and then on to other European countries.</s>A presidential election in North Macedonia that gave voters another chance to express an opinion on their country's new name will go to a runoff after turnout in the first round of voting Sunday was too low for a candidate to win outright, election officials said.

The May 5 runoff is inevitable because the small European country's election law requires a candidate to get 50% plus one of registered voters, not just voters who cast ballots for president, to be elected in the first round. The state electoral commission reported the turnout Sunday was 41.9%.

With about 97 per cent of polling stations reporting results, Stevo Pendarovski and Gordana Siljanovska Davkova were in a close contest for the most support, the state electoral commission announced shortly before midnight (2300 GMT). Pendarovski, the joint candidate of the ruling Social Democrats and 30 other parties, held a slight lead from the unfinished tally, receiving 42.68% of the partial vote to Siljanovska's 42.55%.

The main conservative opposition VMRO-DPMNE party backed Siljanovska, the first woman to run for president in the country.

Blerim Reka, a candidate supported by two small ethnic Albanian political parties, had 10.4% in the latest returns. All three candidates the largely ceremonial presidency are university professors.

North Macedonia previously was known as Macedonia. The name change took effect in February as part of an agreement to end a decades-long dispute with Greece.

In exchange, Greece said it would stop blocking the former Yugoslav republic's path to membership in NATO and the European Union. Greece had opposed its young northern neighbour gaining international recognition, asserting sole rights to the Macedonia name.

Outgoing President Gjorge Ivanov, who couldn't seek re-election due to term limits, tried to derail or delay the deal with Greece that gave rise to the name change.

The deal emerged as the main campaign issue of the presidential contest. Siljanovska vowed to challenge the agreement in the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

She said that as a constitutional law professor, she would "respect" the deal but also "will do my best to show that some of the solutions are against Macedonia's Constitution and against...the norms of the United Nations."

Pendarovski told reporters after he voted in the capital of Skopje that he expects North Macedonia to become a full member of NATO and the EU. He said he is a strong supporter of the deal with Greece that "fully preserves the national interest of both countries."

Reka expressed hope that North Macedonia will "prove that is ready for the start of the accession talks with the European Union."

More than 3,000 domestic and about 420 international observers monitored the election. Domestic election observers said the election proceeded calmly, although villagers locked one voting station to protest a lack of road repairs.

North Macedonia's struggles include a stagnant economy, more than 20% unemployment and pervasive corruption. At least 400,000 people, most of them young, have left the country in the past decade.

Some residents hoped for something better. Voter Stefan Kocevski said he expected the election to bring "positivity and change."

"I expect the situation to change for us young people and also changes in the country, our living conditions to improve and to go forward toward European Union and NATO," Kocevski said.</s>SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) - North Macedonia is heading for a presidential election runoff with both candidates more or less tied and the outcome potentially determined by an ethnic Albanian candidate eliminated in Sunday's first vote.

The governing center-left party's candidate, Stevo Pendarovski, and conservative Gordana Siljanovsa will face off on May 5. According to the latest results released Monday, Pendarovski got 42.85% of the vote and Siljanovska 42.24%.

Ethnic Albanian Blerim Reka came third with 10.57%. He has not said whether he will back either candidate in the May 5 election. About one in four Macedonians is ethnic Albanian.

Turnout is also crucial because if it falls below 40% of registered voters the presidential election is considered invalid and must be held again from the beginning in two rounds. Sunday's turnout was 41.8%.

A woman checks lists before voting for the presidential election at a polling station in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sunday, April 21, 2019. Polls were opened early on Sunday in North Macedonia for presidential elections seen as key test of the government following deep polarization after the country changed its name to end a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece over the use of the term "Macedonia". (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

A couple cast their ballots for the presidential election at a polling station in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sunday, April 21, 2019. Polls were opened early on Sunday in North Macedonia for presidential elections seen as key test of the government following deep polarization after the country changed its name to end a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece over the use of the term "Macedonia". (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

A man looks at his ballot behind a voting booth at a polling station, during the presidential elections in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sunday, April 21, 2019. North Macedonia holds the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, seen as key test of the government following deep polarization after the country changed its name to end a decades-old dispute with neighboring Greece over the use of the term "Macedonia". (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
Macedonians go to the polls to elect the next President of North Macedonia in an election dominated by divisions over the Prespa agreement, which resolved the naming dispute between North Macedonia and Greece.