Gjorge Ivanov ( mk, Ѓорге Иванов, ; born 2 May 1960) is a Macedonian politician, who served as the 4th
President of North Macedonia
The President of the Republic of North Macedonia ( mk, Претседател на Република Северна Македонија; sq, Presidenti i Republikës së Maqedonisë së Veriut) is the head of state of North Macedonia.
The off ...
from 2009 to 2019.
Early and personal life
Born at
Valandovo
Valandovo ( mk, Валандово ) is a small town in southeastern North Macedonia. The city is the seat of Valandovo Municipality.
History Ancient Period
Evidence of life can be found beginning in the 10th-7th centuries B.C. There is a settle ...
, Ivanov finished primary and secondary school in his hometown. He lived there until the age of 27, then moved to
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
,
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
which has since been his permanent residence.
[ ]
Ivanov is married to Maja Ivanova. Together they have a son named Ivan.
Political and civil society activism
Ivanov has been politically active since the Yugoslav era, when he pushed for political pluralism and
market economy
A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment, production and distribution to the consumers are guided by the price signals created by the forces of supply and demand, where all suppliers and consumers ...
.
Until 1990 he was an activist in the
League of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia
The League of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia (SSOJ) was the youth movement, member organisation of the Socialist Alliance of Working People of Yugoslavia (SSRNJ). Membership stood at more than 3.6 million individuals in 1983.
History
The SSOJ was ...
and a member of the last presidency of the organisation,
[ where he worked on reforming the political system and promoting political plurality and free market economy.][
Ivanov is considered a leading expert on civil society, specialising in political management.] He is the founder and honorary president of the Macedonian Political Science Association and one of the founding members of the Institute for Democracy Societas ''Civilis'', a leading analytical centre in North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
.
Academic career
His professional career began in 1988, when he became an editor at the Macedonian Radio and Television, the national broadcasting station. He later taught political theory and political philosophy at the Law Faculty of the University of Skopje. In 1999, he became a visiting professor for the Southeast European programme at the University of Athens
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; el, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, ''Ethnikó ke Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the Univers ...
in Greece.
A series of academic appointments followed, including at universities in Bologna and Sarajevo. Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje
The Saints Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje ( mk, Универзитет „Св. Кирил и Методиј“ во Скопје) is the oldest and largest List of universities in North Macedonia, public university in North Macedonia. ...
named him associate professor in 1992 and a full-time professor in 2008. The same year, he became president of the Council for Accreditation in Higher Education in Macedonia.
Published works
* Цивилно општество (''Civil Society'')
* Демократијата во поделените општества: македонскиот модел (''Democracy in divided societes: the Macedonian Model'')
* Современи политички теории (''Current political theories'')
* Политички теории - Антика (''Political theories - Antiquity'')[
]
President of the Republic of Macedonia
Campaign and election
On 25 January 2009, the strongest party in the Macedonian parliament
The Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia ( mk, Собрание на Република Северна Македонија, sq, Kuvendi i Republikës së Maqedonisë së Veriut), or the Sobranie ( mk, Собрание, "Assembly"), is t ...
, VMRO-DPMNE
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity ( mk, Внатрешна македонска револуционерна организација – Демократска партија за ...
, appointed Ivanov as the party's presidential candidate for the 2009 Macedonian presidential election. 1,016 party delegates voted for his candidacy at the party's convention. Although he was proposed as a candidate by VMRO-DPMNE, he is not a member of the party.[Biography]
Official website of the President of the Republic of Macedonia
During his campaign, Ivanov announced that if he is going to be elected president, he would "insist on a meeting between the President of the Republic of Macedonia
The President of the Republic of North Macedonia ( mk, Претседател на Република Северна Македонија; sq, Presidenti i Republikës së Maqedonisë së Veriut) is the head of state of North Macedonia.
The off ...
and the President of the Republic of Greece" and that one of his highest priorities is the resolution of the country's long-running name dispute with Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
.
In the first round of the 2009 Macedonian presidential election 343,374 (35.06%) citizens of The Republic Of Macedonia voted for Ivanov, the second being the candidate of the Social Democrats
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...
, Ljubomir Frčkoski
Ljubomir Danailov Frčkoski ( Macedonian: Љубомир Данаилов Фрчкоски; born 12 December 1957, in Skopje) is a Macedonian diplomat who is current Permanent Representative of North Macedonia to the United Nations and a full-tim ...
, with 20.45% of the votes.
Ivanov won the second round of the presidential election with 453,616 votes; opposition candidate Ljubomir Frčkoski got 264,828 votes.
One day after his election, Ivanov reaffirmed his intention for a meeting to be realised between him and the president of Greece, Karolos Papoulias
Karolos Papoulias ( el, Κάρολος Παπούλιας ; 4 June 1929 – 26 December 2021) was a Greek politician who served as the president of Greece from 2005 to 2015.
A member of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), he previously ...
. He added that he will officialise his invitation just after taking office. After a meeting with the president of the Democratic Union for Integration
The Democratic Union for Integration ( mk, Демократска унија за интеграција, ДУИ, Demokratska unija za integracija, DUI, al, Bashkimi Demokratik për Integrim, BDI) is the largest ethnic Albanian political party ...
, Ali Ahmeti
Ali Ahmeti ( mk, Али Ахмети; born 5 January 1959) is a Macedonian politician of Albanian descent, leader of the Democratic Union for Integration, and a junior coalition partner in the Macedonian government since 2008. Ahmeti is also kno ...
, Ivanov announced that he will also include ethnic Albanian intellectuals in his future presidential cabinet.
On 16 April, Ivanov on a ceremony received the presidential certificate from the State Election Commission.
Inauguration
Ivanov took office on 12 May 2009, thereby succeeding Branko Crvenkovski
Branko Crvenkovski ( mk, Бранко Црвенковски, pronounced ; born 12 October 1962) is a Macedonian politician who served as Prime Minister of Macedonia from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2002 to 2004, and as President of Macedonia f ...
. After taking the oath he held his inauguration speech in the Macedonian parliament
The Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia ( mk, Собрание на Република Северна Македонија, sq, Kuvendi i Republikës së Maqedonisë së Veriut), or the Sobranie ( mk, Собрание, "Assembly"), is t ...
and made public his priorities - EU and NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
membership, economic recovery, inner stability, interethnic relations and good relations with the neighbouring countries, especially with Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Crvenkovski, prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Nikola Gruevski
Nikola Gruevski ( mk, Никола Груевски, pronounced ; hu, Nikola Gruevszki; born 31 August 1970) is a Macedonian politician who served as Prime Minister of Macedonia from 2006 until his resignation, which was caused by the 2016 Mace ...
, the first president of independent Republic of Macedonia Kiro Gligorov, military officials, leaders of the religious communities in Macedonia and foreign ambassadors in the county.
Also, four foreign statesmen were present — the president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
Boris Tadić
Boris Tadić ( sr-cyr, Борис Тадић, ; born 15 January 1958) is a Serbian politician who served as the president of Serbia from 2004 to 2012.
Born in Sarajevo, he graduated from the University of Belgrade with a degree in psychology ...
, the president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of Montenegro
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Filip Vujanović
Filip Vujanović (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Филип Вујановић, ; born 1 September 1954) is a Montenegrin politician who served as the President of Montenegro from 2003 to 2018.
Early life and career
Born and raised in Belgrade, Vujanov ...
, the president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
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Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić (; born 24 December 1934) is a Croatian lawyer and politician who served as President of Croatia from 2000 to 2010. Before serving two five-year terms as president, he was prime minister of SR Croatia (1990) after the fir ...
and the president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
. Later that day Ivanov held bilateral talks with the four presidents.
The second inauguration of President Ivanov was held on 12 May 2014 in the Macedonian parliament
The Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia ( mk, Собрание на Република Северна Македонија, sq, Kuvendi i Republikës së Maqedonisë së Veriut), or the Sobranie ( mk, Собрание, "Assembly"), is t ...
The swearing-in ceremony was attended the prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Nikola Gruevski
Nikola Gruevski ( mk, Никола Груевски, pronounced ; hu, Nikola Gruevszki; born 31 August 1970) is a Macedonian politician who served as Prime Minister of Macedonia from 2006 until his resignation, which was caused by the 2016 Mace ...
, military officials, leaders of the religious communities in Macedonia and foreign ambassadors in the county. The inauguration was boycotted by the Democratic Union for Integration
The Democratic Union for Integration ( mk, Демократска унија за интеграција, ДУИ, Demokratska unija za integracija, DUI, al, Bashkimi Demokratik për Integrim, BDI) is the largest ethnic Albanian political party ...
the largest Albanian political party in the Republic of Macedonia and the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia ( mk, Социјалдемократски сојуз на Македонија – СДСМ, ''Socijaldemokratski Sojuz na Makedonija'' – SDSM, sq, Lidhja socialdemokrate e Maqedonisë – LSDM) is a ...
the largest opposition party in Macedonia.
First term
On the day Ivanov officially became president of his country, he sent a letter to the president of the United States Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
in which he underlined The Republic Of Macedonia's aim to join NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
and EU and to find a "mutually acceptable solution" to the "name difference" with neighbouring Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. He also thanked Obama for his words of support at the 2009 NATO Summit.
One day after the inauguration, Ivanov together with Prime Minister Gruevski travelled to Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
to meet with European Union and NATO officials.
Ivanov claims to promote a Macedonian model of a multi-ethnic society and Pax Europaea, a united Europe living in peace and respecting the diversity and identity of the nations of Europe.
Second term
Ivanov was re-elected as President of the Republic of Macedonia for a second term in April 2014.
In March 2016 Ivanov stated that the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
had failed the Republic of Macedonia and other Balkan countries in the European migrant crisis
The 2015 European migrant crisis, also known internationally as the Syrian refugee crisis, was a period of significantly increased movement of refugees and migrants into Europe in 2015, when 1.3 million people came to the continent to reques ...
.
On 12 April 2016 Ivanov halted judicial inquiries into officials involved in a wiretap scandal. Ivanov stated to have done so in the best interest of the country, and to end the political crisis. A move that the opposition called Ivanov's coup d'état and an effective disagreement to cooperate and find a common ground solution to the problem. His own party, the VMRO-DPMNE
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity ( mk, Внатрешна македонска револуционерна организација – Демократска партија за ...
did not agree with his action. Opposition media called it a political manoeuvre to prevent further judicial inquiry by the special prosecutor Katica Janeva, proposed by the international community to normalise the political situation. Opposition leader Zoran Zaev
Zoran Zaev ( mk, Зоран Заев, ; born 8 October 1974) is a Macedonian economist and politician who served as prime minister of North Macedonia from May 2017 to January 2020, and again from August 2020 to January 2022.
Prior to entering ...
subsequently called for protests.[ A demonstration occurred in Skopje on 13 April, with the presidential offices being attacked by rioters and several people detained.
]
Awards and honours
Honours
*2011- Highest decoration of the Order of “Saint Lazarus” of Jerusalem
*2012- Order of the European Movement of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
*2013- Imperial Knight of Honor of the Order of St. George
The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...
from House of Habsburg
*2015- Honorary Citizen of Pustec
Pustec ( sq, Pustec; mk, Пустец) formerly known as Liqenas (1973–2013), is a village in Pustec Municipality, Korçë County, eastern Albania. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Prespa, it is home to much of the Macedonian minorit ...
*2015- Order Baptist (Preteca) from Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery
The Monastery of Saint Jovan Bigorski ( mk, Свети Јован Бигорски) is a Macedonian Orthodox monastery located in the western part of North Macedonia, near the road connecting the towns of Debar and Gostivar.
The monastery churc ...
*2015- from Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
Awards
*2011-Recognition for leadership in reducing disaster risk from the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction of the United Nations
*2012- Peace and Sport' award from Peace and Sport International Forum
*2014- The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) Freedom Award
*2014- Prix de la Fondation from Crans Montana Forum
*2016- Isa Beg Ishaković international award from Isa Beg Ishaković Foundation
*2017- Flame of peace award from the Association for the Furtherance of Peace
*2017 - Patriarch Alexey II of Moscow Award from International Public Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Christian Nations
Professor/doctor honoris causa
See also
* List of state visits made by Gjorge Ivanov
References
External links
Official website of the President of North Macedonia
Official website of Ivanov's presidential candidacy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivanov, Gjorge
1960 births
Eastern Orthodox Christians from North Macedonia
Living people
Members of the Macedonian Orthodox Church
People from Valandovo
Presidents of North Macedonia
VMRO-DPMNE politicians
Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje alumni