Skopje, 30 January 2024 (MIA) - Several elements are essential for anyone's presidential candidacy - impartiality and pledge for the country's full Euro-Atlantic integration. I believe these two criteria have always been valid, even for those presidential hopefuls who did not meet them other than rhetorically. These requirements are a must, says President Stevo Pendarovski.

Pendarovski told Sloboden Pechat that the Euro-Atlantic integration job is only half done, the other half is still pending.

"As I see it, this requirement is a must - to push for EU membership with the prerequisites that have been on the table in the last few years," says Pendarovski on the criteria that former PM Dimitar Kovachevski said the future head of state should meet.

The President says the fact that he received broad political and civic support as candidate in 2014 and 2019 clearly shows that he meets the criteria - efforts to integrate the country and no favoritism because of ethnic or religious background.

The President reiterates that the decision on whether he will run for a second term will be made in mid-February.

"I will take part at the Munich Security Conference on February 16-18, and the decision will be made prior or after that trip. I will announce the decision in Skopje, not from abroad, for sure," says Pendarovski.

He says that an entirely independent candidacy is impossible, and the support from as many political entities as possible is required.

"Nevertheless, you have to bring some added value beyond those partisan electorates. Back in 2019, I was nominated in almost all municipal organizations of SDSM and later gained the support from other parties in the coalition," notes Pendarovski.

Asked whether he would run as SDSM-backed candidate if DUI and opposition parties of ethnic Albanians have their own candidates, he says the support from all parties of ethnic communities matters.

"The claim that I was elected to the post with the votes of ethnic Albanians is not true, since I was elected with the votes of Macedonians, Albanians, Turks and all others. It is a two-round race and I don't think I should not run if DUI or other parties of ethnic Albanians do not support me, and vice versa, that I have to run if DUI or other parties support me. The pool of voters is rather heterogeneous and things cannot be seen as being only black and white. I want the support from all parties of ethnic communities but I do not think this is crucial, especially for the first round, since the threshold for the winner in the first round is 50 percent plus one from all registered voters, which is impossible to reach. In the runoff, only two remain, and the ones running in the first round either tell their voters who to vote for or leave it up to them to decide. The support from parties of all ethnic communities and citizens is important in the runoff," says Pendarovski.

Regarding a possible rematch with Gordana Siljanovska, President Pendarovski says "who is on the other side is totally irrelevant for me, because what matters to me is to convince more people into what I believe".

MIA file photo