- In February, lawmakers approved amendments to the Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services that lifted a ban on state-funded advertisements in private media, allowing the government and municipalities to run publicly funded media campaigns. The shift prompted criticism from the media regulator and journalists’ associations, which said it could encourage political influence by the state on media outlets.
- In March and April, amendments to the Electoral Code were adopted through an expedited procedure and without pubic debate. While the amendments implemented some positive reforms on voter registration, campaign finance, and election-dispute resolution, they also made it more difficult for independent candidates to run for office locally and nationally. Independent candidates previously needed 1,000 signatures to submit their lists for parliamentary elections. Now, they must collect signatures from 1 percent of registered voters in their district, effectively increasing the number of signatures required—in some cases, by several thousand.
- In May, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, backed by the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization–Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE), became North Macedonia’s first woman president after securing a landslide victory over incumbent Stevo Pendarovski, who was backed by the ruling Social Democrats (SDSM). Siljanovska-Davkova took 65 percent of the vote in a run-off. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) observers deemed the election competitive, calm, and well administered, but noted that “frequent allegations of vote buying ahead of elections affected confidence in the process.”
- Parliamentary elections were held concurrently with the run-off presidential vote. The VMRO-DPMNE-led bloc won 43 percent of the vote, while the incumbent SDSM-led bloc received only 15 percent. The VMRO-DPMNE-led coalition then formed a government with the coalition of Albanian parties VLEN/VREDI and the newly founded political party ZNAM, and Hristijan Mickoski of VMRO-DPMNE became the new prime minister. The OSCE observers similarly assessed the polls as competitive and calm, but featuring vote-buying concerns.
This report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Freedom in the World is entirely funded by nongovernmental sources such as private foundations, corporations, and individuals like you. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.
For additional background information, see last year’s full report.